


Chishio No Me

by kenshi_vakarian7



Series: The Ketsueki Quadrilogy [1]
Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Soul Calibur, Street Fighter, Tekken
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Canon Divergence is mostly for the Soul Calibur side, Character Death, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Magical Artifacts, Multi, Original Character(s), Rescue Missions, Romance, Tournaments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-07 11:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 76
Words: 419,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11058219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenshi_vakarian7/pseuds/kenshi_vakarian7
Summary: Part 1 of the QuadrilogyChosen warriors from different realms must save mankind from evil, who are using a powerful medallion that needs to be destroyed.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **This story was written and published on ff.net between April 6, 2005 and July 26, 2007. It was edited on April 30, 2014 and, likely, they'll be more minor edits in the future.**
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> **Before reading the series, please keep these following notes in mind...**
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> **-Everything that happens in the series will have an explanation whether in this story or later in the sequels. These include some of the character personalities and/or certain actions and expansions on a story line.**
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> **-Raiden in this particular story is based off the one from the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, just very, very slightly exaggerated in the first 20 chapters or so.**
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> **-Yes, Original Characters are involved (there are six in this part - the number actually dwindles as the series progresses) and they only represent about 9% of this story. Three of them have prominent roles compared to the other three and they are treated as equals to the main (aka they are not going to dominate the entire story). However, please note that two of these OCs will be paired with a canon character in the series. So, if you think you won't be able to tolerate the presence of these OCs at the very least, then this series is not for you.**
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> **These are the names of the Original Characters in Part 1 -**
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>  _-Scott K. Wagner_  
>  -Alex Walker  
> -Matrik  
> -Lisa 'Viper' Wagner  
> -Yin (Who belongs to fellow writer, DeNice)  
> -Berserk
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> **-I try to do my best to give the characters a share in the spotlight. It's not, however, always possible for whatever reason, so I apologize in advance.**
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> **-Considering that this story was written between 2005 and 2007, please keep this timeline in mind... if an event in the canon happened but it is not mentioned in the story, there's a pretty good chance it's because said canon did not occur at the time I wrote this story. For example, the name of Kenshi's sword, Sento, was not known until _Mortal Kombat 9_ , which was released in 2011. Therefore, here, Sento is not called as such.**
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> **Sorry for the wall of text, but sadly this stuff needed to be explained. Either way, I hope you enjoy the series!**

_For as long as time existed, wars waged, legends emerged, and armies battled for what they desired; peace, dominance... power. At times, peace would remain, but then a new wave of enemies would emerge in the hopes of being on top of the food chain. It is a never ending cycle that forces even the most noble of warriors to turn to greed in order to protect all that they've known and loved._

_I myself fell into that notion our of desperation one day, more than four-hundred years ago, when I stumbled upon an underground lair. There, I discovered a legend so old that it's true origin is unknown to this day –_ Chishio No Me. _One would not think that the simple gold medallion – one with a red tear dripping from the etched eye on the artifact (hence the rough translation of the medallion's name; The Bloody Eye) – would hold all the power in the universe. That was according to the small scroll that accompanied the artifact._

_I didn't believe it at first – it seemed too good to be true – until the moment I held the artifact in my hand. The red tear glow and its power surged within me and through my veins. In that moment, I believed in the legend... and knew that with its help, my clan and I would fight for what we always believed in._

_And for twenty years,_ Chishio No Me _served me well. I was able to protect my two lands – my home and the one I've adopted – from the tyranny of those who wished harm upon the innocents, as I've always upheld since becoming the clan's leader._

_But as they say, such power came with a high price._

_In the middle of a bloody battle,_ Chishio No Me _chose that moment to take its hold on me. I still remember the blinding light surrounding me. It was only by luck that I was able to look down to see what was happening to me. My right arm, the one where I strapped the medallion to as a form of good luck, began to twist and blackened into something sinister. I saw it climbing up my arm and it would only be a matter of moments before I was completely in its thralls. I had no choice but to chop my arm off with my won sword to free myself. I was not about to let myself find out what it would had done to my clan – or the innocent – had it completely taken over me._

_We had barely won our battle that day and it was only then that I realized my error. Although the medallion had granted many victories over the years, it only revealed its true nature to me in that very moment. I had been a fool and my foolishness nearly cost me the lives of my clan._

_The medallion's final gift, however, was to grant me and a select few in my clan an extended lifetime. It's now only a wonder of when my time will eventually come. For now however, my clan and I will continue to protect the realms from falling into the clutches of the wicked._

_For four-hundred years, I believe_ Chishio No Me _to be lost forever. That was, until I heard that the artifact had fallen into the hands of evil. Worse, they were royalty from the realm of Outworld, a world which, not even a few years ago, tried to claim and merge all the realms for themselves. I can only imagine the power the artifact would give them – it would be nothing short of chaos._

_I must find a way to stop them before either they succeed or the medallion's power corrupts them. The realms depend on it._

**~The Words of Yoshimitsu**


	2. Chapter One

**Outworld**

The harsh winds blew in fast speed, bringing the sand up from the ground. Nothing was seen for miles except one… a figure lying flat face first in the ground

After what seemed like a while, the figure looked up as though he was just recovering from a long, deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes and brushed the sand off his extremely pale face. He then opened his eyes revealing a set of yellow iris' with a tint of red around the pupils. He squinted them trying to keep the blowing sand out of them.

This man was known as Quan Chi, an evil, demonic sorcerer. Just a few moments ago, he had just barely escaped from the fifth plane of the Netherrealm after years of being tortured by the ninja spectre, Scorpion. Quan Chi managed to find a tablet which would open a portal to anywhere he wished.

He had just managed to get the portal to open when suddenly, Scorpion showed up ready to attack. Quan Chi was not about to fight, not this time. He immediately jumped into the portal. Scorpion followed, but luckily for Quan Chi, he was brought to a different area far from the spectre.

Quan Chi shook the thought out of his head. Now was not the time to think about the past. He had to move forward.

Then, Quan Chi looked down and noticed a round, golden item on the ground. There were small Japanese writings around the item. In the middle was an eye with a red tear coming out of it, which slightly glowed in it's crimson color. Next to it was a small scroll.

"…Is this what I think it is?" Quan Chi asked a loud. He picked up the scroll and unrolled it. Although the very short passage was written in kanji, Quan Chi read it a loud in English.

" _Chishio No Me_ … it is a medallion that gives one and their allies all the power in the universe. Use it wisely."

Quan Chi looked back down at the medallion, the tear still glowing. He slowly picked it up. As soon as he gloved hand had a hold of it, he felt a sudden, powerful force surge within him.

A sadistic grin came over Quan Chi's face. "I had a thought this was a legend, but this is the real thing… The Bloody Eye."

With all the power in the universe, Quan Chi thought of endless opportunities with this medallion. Then, another idea came to him, an idea which would satisfy some Outworld natives. He made the decision to inform his plans to the Emperor of Outworld - Shao Kahn.

~~~

**Emperor's Fortress, Outworld**

"My lord," a servant said. He kneeled in front of a man who sat in a throne of a very large room filled with different statues and treasures. The man was the Emperor Shao Kahn himself in his attire consisting of a red cape connected to spiked shoulder pads, a skull belt with a sash going down his mid-thigh, and gray knee-high boots with spikes around the knees. He also wore a skull helmet with small horns on top. The only parts of his face that showed was his chin and jaw line.

Shao Kahn looked at his servant. "Yes?"

The servant replied. "There is someone here who wants to visit you."

Shao Kahn growled. He knew that if he servant did not state the person's name, the visitor was indeed a stranger.

"You should know by now that I do not allow strangers visiting!" Shao Kahn said, his booming voice echoing throughout the throne room. "Tell them to leave at once!"

"But my lord," the servant protested. "He holds a medallion in his hand, it has an eye with a glowing red tear on it."

Before Shao Kahn spoke again, the servant's statement of the medallion came to him. _Is it true? Has someone actually found the Bloody Eye?_

For many years, Shao Kahn had been searching for The Bloody Eye in hopes to gaining more power to rule all realms like h has done many years ago. Many times has he attempted to take over the realms. He did, however, managed to take over a couple of realms, but only for a short time when he was defeated by their strong leaders.

_I will rise again…and I will eliminate all who oppose me._

After some thought, Shao spoke. "Bring him in!"

"Yes my lord." The servant got to his feet and made his way out of the throne room.

Shao Kahn leaned back into his throne as more thoughts came to him. He began to wonder what kind of possibilities he could do with the medallion… besides taking over every realm in the universe, there was no doubt about that. Even now, he tried to take over the worlds again after his last thwarted attempt, but so far, with no prevail.

Soon enough, he noticed an extremely pale man walking towards his throne. The man wore black pants with black boots and short black fighting gloves. He had a pair of broad swords, one behind his back in his black scabbard, and another in its own scabbard on his left side connected at his belt. On his arms and bald head were red tattoos of kanji writing of different spells. In his hand was the medallion itself.

After a quick examination, Shao Kahn suddenly recognized the figure. "Quan Chi! You have escaped the Netherrealm."

"Indeed I have," Quan Chi replied taking a bow in respect for the Emperor. "As you might know, I possess something I believe you may desire."

"This better be not a waste of my time!" Shao Kahn replied harshly. "The servant informed me of The Bloody Eye you've found recently."

Quan Chi held up the medallion. "Yes. I found it in the deserts of Outworld and traveled many days to bring this to you."

"And what is this that you plan to do with the medallion?" Shao Kahn knew Quan Chi wasn't just going to give him the medallion, but he was interested in knowing Quan Chi's plans for the treasure.

Quan Chi smirked. "You are the Emperor of Outworld with the desire to merge all realms with yours. Your troops have been searching for the medallion for many years. Everyone who knows about the medallion and it's power knows that. You are fortunate that someone like me ended up finding this and not some goody-two-shoe out to destroy it."

For a moment, Shao Kahn stared at the medallion. The tear continued to glow it's crimson color. But even so, in the back of Shao Kahn's mind, this could all be nothing but a trick. "You better not be planning a trick on me. Since you seem to know so much, I believe you would know better than to defy me."

"Not at all," Quan Chi answered. He extended his arm out towards the Emperor holding out the medallion. "See for yourself."

Shao Kahn stared at the medallion for a brief moment. _He better be holding the true medallion,_ he thought. Shao Kahn reached for it and took the medallion in his hand. As soon as he brought his hand back, he felt electrifying powers within him. After that moment, Shao Kahn grinned under his mask. It was indeed the real thing.

"With this power," Quan Chi began to suggest. "I feel that we should hold a tournament for all the fighters in every realm. That way, we can easily defeat those who can oppose any of our plans. Those who make it through the tournament will fall to our feet one way or another."

Shao Kahn stared at the medallion for another moment. He could feel so much evil within the object…immense evil that he couldn't explain. He grinned, enjoying the feeling within his hands.

Quickly, he snapped his fingers twice. In an instance, two of his servants appeared. "My servants!" Shao Kahn called out. "Retrieve Mileena, Baraka, Shang Tsung, Tanya, Sheeva, Reptile, and Ermac at once!"

The servants nodded and left to pursue their assignments.

Shao Kahn turned his attention back to Quan Chi. "As a gift for your continued loyalty even after all these years, I shall appoint you back as my general."

Quan Chi nodded accepting the Emperor's offer.

"The other generals will be arriving any moment. We will all meet back here soon enough. In the meantime, I will appoint one of my servants to bring you to the dining room. I am sure your stomach is begging for a meal. Don't get used to this offer though, I rarely do this."

Quan Chi accepted the rare opportunity and followed the servants to the dining quarters. Even with Shao Kahn no longer watching, Quan Chi resisted the urge to smirk.

_The fool... he fell for it... now the wheels may begin to turn._

~~~

Once everything was settled, Shao Kahn and his generals gathered at the throne room. The generals stood straight up, line side by side next to one another. There was the enigma Ermac, the Shokan Sheeva, the sorcerer and shape shifter Shang Tsung, the Tarkatan Baraka, the Edenians Mileena and Tanya, and the lizard Reptile.

The plans began to unfold. The people of Earthrealm, Outworld, Keisei, Edenia, and various other places would soon hear about The Blood Tournament. The best warriors of all the realms will have the opportunity to participate and will be receiving invitations in due time. Once all the warriors were gathered, it will all begin.

It wouldn't be long before everything went according to plan. Soon, all realms would become one and be ruled by Shao Kahn. Nothing, and no one, will stop them.


	3. Chapter Two

**Interpol Headquarters, Hong Kong, China**

Inside a small room of the large Interpol Headquarters building, there were three people sitting around a small table. A chubby man in a gray business suit and black tie placed down two pieces of paper on the table. The other two, one male and the other female, looked at the papers from their spots. They read what the papers said;

**_You have been invited to attend the very first Blood Tournament. You have been chosen for the event because the tournament organizers recognize you as one of the best fighters in all the realms. The location of the tournament is confidential and you will be informed once you get there. You must report to your transportation wherever is closest on time. Your attendance will be an honor._ **

At the bottom gives out the various locations of the transportation with only two of them on Earthrealm; one right here in Hong Kong, and another off the coast of San Francisco, California.

"I thank you for reporting this to me right away," the chubby man said. "The two of you received this invitation today to the tournament with it's location confidential."

The young female there nodded. "Yes Chief, Detective Lei Wulong and I got this in our office mailboxes this morning."

The Chief looked over at the male, Lei Wulong, who sat in his chair. He was a man in his mid-40's and well fit for his age having been with Interpol for many years. His long raven hair was tied back in a single ponytail leaving a few strands of hair over his forehead showing his face better, it's skin a tanned color.

Then, the Chief looked over again at the female agent, Chun Li. She sat in the same way as Lei in the chair next to him. She wore a white button blouse with a knee-length black shirt and matching high-heels. Her dark brown hair was done in two buns on each side of her head leaving a few strands of hair over her fair-skinned face.

Chun Li looked down at the paper. "It does seem like a real tournament invitation…"

"But it's the way it was written," said Lei. "It seems suspicious, especially with the confidential location. It could be a real invitation, but you never know."

Then, a knock came at the door. "Chief, I have a message for you," a voice said through the closed door. “It pertains to the current meeting.”

The Chief looked at the door and saw his female secretary through the small window on the door. "Come in."

The young woman came in and gave the note to the Chief. The Chief looked over at the note then looked up at the secretary. "Thank you, you are dismissed."

The secretary bowed to him before leaving. Then, the Chief looked at the two agents in front of him. "It seems that both the Los Angeles Air Force and the US Special Forces received the same invitation."

"You're kidding?" asked Lei.

The Chief shook his head. "Colonel William Guile of the Air Force received the invitation along with Captain Sonya Blade of Special Forces. Colonel Guile had made the call and was planning to meet with Special Forces. He had the feeling Interpol received the same invitation and if so to give a call."

"If there is a thought of meeting with both groups then I'm in," said Chun Li.

"You're right," the Chief replied. "Colonel Guile would like to meet with you at the tournament to investigate, notes the letter. Lei, will you be willing to investigate as well?"

Lei nodded with confidence. "I'm ready for anything, sir."

"Good. Then let's get everything arranged."

The three of them got up and began making their way out of the room.

Later that day, both Lei and Chun Li both got off of work at the same time. They walked out together still wearing their business suits. The bright sun was beginning to set down for the day as rush hour began to pick up. The both of them stood by the bus stop waiting for their buses to arrive to take them home.

They both sat on the wooden bench in silence. Other people began gathering around. Some were in business suits as well, a couple of them reading newspapers that they didn't get the chance to read that morning. Some were in regular clothes with a couple of them listening to their mp3 players.

Lei watched the people on the streets for a bit as he waited for the bus. Then, he turned his head to the woman next to him. "So," he said in a whisper so that no one else could hear them. "What do you think the tournament's about?"

Chun Li had been people watching as well and was a bit startled when she head Lei's voice. She shook her head a little and turned to him. "I'm not too sure, but I have the feeling we'll get the same results as the Shadaloo case."

"A madman holding a tournament to recruit people into his work," Lei said remembering the Shadaloo case. It wasn't a case he was involved in, but it was the biggest one just a year ago within Interpol. Chun Li ran most of it, though everyone in the station knew that she had a personal agenda against them. They had killed her father Dorai, once a famous detective of all of Hong Kong. The story of what truly happened to Shadaloo and their leader Bison, who was reported dead, was still shaky and unclear.

"It could be more than that though," Chun Li continued. "I guess we'll have to see when we get there."

Then a bus pulled up. It's indicator on the front showed that the bus was heading downtown. It wasn't Lei's bus, but it was Chun-Li's. She began getting up as other people piled into the large vehicle.

"See you tomorrow Lei," the young Chinese woman said as she got up, purse in hand.

" _Zaijian,_ " Lei said in Mandarin. The male detective watched as Chun Li was the last one to get on the bus. One she paid for the fare, the door closed and the bus pulled away. Lei watched the bus leave until it turned a corner and disappeared.

 _I wonder if…_ Lei began to think, but then he decided to push the thought away.

~~~

**US Special Forces Base, Los Angeles, California**

Coming out of the parking lot of the Special Forces Base were two men dressed in dark blue formal Air Force uniforms. Both men seem to look a lot a like if you looked quick enough, but there were also obvious differences.

One stood at six foot two inches and was extremely well-built. His blond hair was in a Mohawk-like style and had dark blue eyes, which were a bit hard to notice because of the large bone structure on his eyebrow area, which didn't really have actual eyebrows. By his complexion, he looked to be in his early 40's.

The other was quite young, about the age of 21. Standing at five foot ten inches, he wasn't even nearly as built as the other man, but by looking at him, he was working on it, having been scrawny his whole life. He too had blond hair, cut much shorter and spiked up a bit, and his midnight blue eyes were more noticeable.

The both of them made their way towards the office on the base. They were silent for a bit until the younger soldier spoke. "Guile, have you heard from Chun Li yet?"

Guile nodded to him. "She called me early this morning, Wagner. Her and Detective Lei Wulong will meet us at the tournament location."

The young soldier nodded. It wasn't too ago that Colonel William Guile received an invitation in his office to The Blood Tournament. After reading it, he reported it to the government to let them know his suspicions. They also discovered that Special Forces also received an exact invitation. Captain Sonya Blade was asked to handpick a team to come with her to the tournament. She had requested that two members of the Air Force, including the one who received the invitation, joined her team. It would be the three of them along with another, who's name was not revealed since the person was only a free agent and not an official member of Special Forces.

Soon, the two Air Force militants reached the main office. Only a single woman sat at an oak wood desk doing work on her computer. Guile and Wagner approached the desk.

"Excuse me," the Colonel said. "We have an appointment with Captain Sonya Blade."

The woman looked up. At first she had an annoyed look on her face, but once she saw that they were in uniform, her expression quickly changed to a more cheery look. "Ah, yes sir. Let me see if she's ready to see you." The woman quickly got up and went to the back.

Wagner chuckled a bit. "She sure enjoys her job."

Guile began to move towards the chairs against the opposite wall. "Let's go sit down."

The pair sat down in soft green chairs. Guile sat straight up in his chair while Wagner sat slumped back with his feet stretched out. The young militant yawned a bit wondering how long the wait will be. He looked around the room which only had the desk, other unoccupied chairs, a couple of lush green plants in the corners, and some framed photos of past military combat hanging on the white walls.

 _At least they should make this room a bit more exciting for long waits,_ he thought, though he wasn't sure exactly what that could be.

Guile looked over at Wagner and sighed as he saw his sitting position. "I swear, you're still that 16-year-old kid I adopted back in the day."

"Ha ha," Wagner replied almost sarcastically before sighing to himself. He was thankful for Guile for taking him in back then. Before he met Guile, he was nothing but a juvenile delinquent, having been orphaned at the young age of eleven when his family was brutally murdered by Shadaloo's leader Bison.

At least Wagner thought all of them died. It was only a few months ago when he discovered that only his parents died that day and his older sister Lisa lived, kidnapped by Shadaloo and turned into one of their 'dolls' despite watching her die in front of his eyes. When Bison and Shadaloo were mysteriously destroyed, all of the remaining dolls were taken into custody except 'Viper,' now Lisa's nickname. It was rumored that a former Shadaloo soldier kept her for himself and took her into hiding.

Since then, it has been Wagner's personal mission to search for his sister, but it hasn't been easy. Never did he get any leads. On the are occasion that he did get crucial information, it came to him too late... each time they investigated, it always came up empty.

Guile knew what he was going through; years ago he nearly experienced the same thing when his best friend and trainer, Charlie Nash, went missing during a Shadaloo operation in South America. He did manage to find him, but he was being used as a pawn of the organization. When Charlie regained himself, he saved Guile and Interpol agent Chun Li, who he partnered with back then, by tackling the leader down over a cliff, losing his own life in the process.

Their thoughts were soon interrupted when the back door opened. The same woman who was at her desk just moments ago appeared from behind it. "Captain Blade will see you now."

Wagner sighed of relief as the two stood up and followed the woman down a long hall. It wasn't long until they reached a door. The woman they followed opened it for them and they stepped in.

Immediately, the two people in the room stood up as the men entered the room. One was female wearing Special Forces' tanned military uniform showing off her full figure and a green beret on her head. Her long blond hair was tied back into a low ponytail bringing out her bright blue eyes.

The other was a male, not in military uniform indicating that he was a free agent. He wore a black T-shirt, blue jeans and black combat boots. He had dark hair which was spiked on the top and slightly sleeked on each side, and he wore black sunglasses over his eyes.

The four saluted to one another before the woman proceeded. "Welcome Colonel and Sergeant, I'm Captain Sonya Blade and this is Special Agent Kenshi."

"Nice to meet you," Guile replied shaking hands with the woman. Wagner shook her hand after, then proceeded to shake hands with the male agent in the room as well.

"Cool shades," Wagner said. "They look pretty expensive."

"Um, thanks," Kenshi replied, sounding unsure for some reason. Wagner decided to ignore it, figuring that the agent didn't expect to hear the compliment.

"All right, let's start the meeting," Sonya said. The four sat down in large leather chairs. Wagner discovered that they had the ability to spin and slowly began pushing side to side with his body.

Sonya took out a copy of the Blood Tournament invitation she received and placed it down on the table. "According to intelligence, there has been a rumor going around that there are small terrorist groups who will be in the tournament. This may include The Black Dragon."

"I thought all the members of the Black Dragon were destroyed," asked Guile.

"Apparently, a former member revived the group," answered Kenshi.

"Plus," Sonya continued. "There's a possibility that former members of Shadaloo may be involved as well."

At that second, Wagner stopped moving in his seat. _Lisa…_ he thought. With the rumors he had head about his missing sister, he began to hope that there was a possibility that the soldier holding his sister would be there and bring her along with him.

"So, what's the plan?" Wagner asked.

"Well," the captain replied. "The boat leaving from San Francisco will be departing in a couple days. We'll all meet there then and devise more plans."

"If you don't mind, Captain," mentioned Guile. "I know two detectives of the Interpol Hong Kong Division who will be meeting us at the tournament location. They are Chun Li and Lei Wulong."

"I've seen their names in newspapers and heard they are the best in Asia."

"Indeed they are."

The meeting continued on for a few more hours. As that was going on, in another building nearby, Lieutenant Alex Walker waited impatiently in the lounge room of the base. No one else was in the room but her, something she was thankful for at the moment. Since the meeting began, she had been trying to kill some time, but the last hour had been killing her.

 _Maybe it was better if I hadn't asked Kenshi to meet me here after the meeting is over,_ the woman ended up thinking.

She looked up a bit, her blue eyes staring off into space a bit. The woman then smoothed out her dark hair a bit before leaning back into the couch she was sitting on. In a way, she was also hoping that she would be called out for another short mission, but of course that never happened.

Just before the young woman fell asleep, she heard the door open prompting her to sit up more and turned to see who just came in. _Finally,_ she thought as she spotted Kenshi coming into the room.

He acknowledged her with a simple nod before sitting down next to her.

"Hey,” Alex greeted. “How was the meeting?"

"Quite interesting to say the least. We'll be leaving for the tournament on Saturday. And Sonya wanted to know if you can do her one favor?"

"And that is?"

"…If you could drive us to the dock the day before? Sonya thought it would be a good idea to see the country between here and San Francisco and she figured that you might enjoy the scenery since I clearly won't.”

Alex sighed a bit. "Okay, I can do that… but I don't get why myself and the others aren't going either. Well, okay, Jax isn't going because Sonya encouraged him to take that vacation he's been planning for weeks, but with the four of us, along with Cyrax and Hsu Hao, we're all the main team... seems strange that we all won't be going to this thing together as usual."

"Unfortunately, the higher-ups want a small team, and with the Air Force involved…"

"I know… I guess I'm just being a grump about it. Speaking of the Air Force, how were those recruits?"

"The Colonel's respectable, and clearly he's had experience with this type of mission... not sure what I think about the Sergeant yet. He's practically a kid."

Alex stared at his sunglasses. "And how do you know that?"

"Trust me, I just know."

Alex got herself up and stretched. "It's going to be boring without you guys. Since Jax is on vacation for a month, and Cyrax and Hsu Hao will be heading to that mission in Italy in a few days, I'll be by myself."

"Hopefully the mission doesn't last too long," Kenshi answered getting up as well.

Alex sighed. "Yeah… but you got to do what you got to do. Maybe if I can get some time off, I'll go back to my home state of Florida and stay with my aunt for a few weeks."

Kenshi seemed to agree with the idea with a nod. “You should do that.”

The two fell silent for a bit then, both not sure what to do next. Alex then realized how hungry she was and had an idea. “Do you want to get dinner at the cafeteria?”

“I was going to do some training for a bit,” Kenshi answered. “I'm not feeling hungry right now.”

“Okay... in that case, I'll see you around.”

"Later."

They both walked out of the room and went their separate ways. Alex sighed to herself, wishing that she was going to the tournament with the team.

~~~

**London, England**

In a small office of the Delta Red Base, a slim young woman sat in front of a desk occupied by a well-built older man. It was seven in the morning and the young woman was feeling quite tired from getting up so early.

"Good morning Cammy," the man said.

"Good morning Colonel Wolfman," Cammy replied. She took a hand and pushed back one of her two long blond braids back behind her, then adjusted the red beret on her head. She also wore a full green business suit with brown stockings and green high-heel shoes.

"I called you here this morning because we have an assignment," Colonel Wolfman mentioned to her. He too wore a matching beret with long blond hair falling behind him. He also wore a gray tank top showing off his well-built muscles, blue jeans, and black boots. A long scar ran down his face over his left eye.

Cammy looked at him seriously. "Do the others know?"

"Yes, I've already informed Lita, McCoy, and Ginzu. I would have had the meeting together, but all of you are on separate schedules. This assignment came to me fast and,frankly, we don't have a lot time."

Colonel Wolfman took out a folded paper from his suitcase and handed it to Cammy. Cammy unfolded the paper and read the information that was in it. "The Blood Tournament…sounds interesting."

"Yes, it is interesting. The General asked us to investigate the tournament. Heavy rumors are going around that former Shadaloo members will be there."

Cammy nodded. She thought about her 'family' back in the states…Air Force's Colonel William Guile and Sergeant Scott K. Wagner. They had taken her in and made her part of the family after years of being a Shadaloo doll herself. There were things she could not remember and probably never will. Guile was like a father to her while Wagner was like a brother to her. She left them for Delta Red, a military branch located in her birth home of England.

She wondered if they knew about the tournament too. If anything, she promised Wagner that if she found anything about his long-lost sister Lisa that she would pursue her. The young British woman knew how much that mission meant to her surrogate brother.

Cammy had the urge to tell Wolfman about it, but held it back. She knew Wolfman didn't want to hear anything involving personal agendas.

Once she let it all sink in, Wolfman continued. "As you see in the invitation, there are only two locations in the entire world which will take us to the tournament. The closest to us is San Francisco. A flight will be ready for us in 1300 hour."

"Yes, sir," Cammy replied.

_Later…_

Cammy let out a gasp as someone touched her shoulder. She had been asleep and was surprised by the sudden touch. She looked up and saw a blond woman standing over her.

"Cammy girl!" the woman called. "It's noon! The plane leaves in an hour!"

Cammy quickly looked over at her clock. "Oh blimey! I meant to take a small nap! Sorry Lita."

"You're just lucky I was around." Lita smiled at her. "I'm looking forward to this tournament. Maybe we'll get a chance to fight some cocky good-looking blokes."

Cammy chuckled a bit. "Maybe. Meet me outside, I'll get ready."

"All right," Lita replied before leaving.

The young woman sighed to herself. She turned to a framed picture she had on her desk. It was a picture of her along with Wagner, Guile, and Guile's wife and daughter Jane and Amy. She missed them very much and sometimes wished that she was back in the states with them, but she loved the family she was with now. They've been good to her since she arriving at Delta Red.

Cammy shook the thought out of her head a bit. _I have to concentrate,_ she thought.

She got dressed in her Delta Red uniform, placed the red beret on her head, and headed out the door. As mysterious as the tournament was, she couldn't help but look forward to it.


	4. Chapter Three

**Forests of Yakushima Island, Japan**

_He felt it once again…the burning sensation coursing throughout his body. He tried his best to ignore it, but to no avail. He clutched on to his muscular chest with one hand as he tried to suppress the awful, sinister feeling growing within._

_Not again! he thought with agony._

_He let out a gasp as a pair of feathered black wings made their way out from his back and spread themselves out. Even with all the strength he had left, he couldn't control the transformation._

_He closed his eyes tightly as a set of horns began to grow on his head. It made it's shape outward and slightly curled. He opened his mouth showing razor sharp teeth beofre let out a blood curdling scream. His eyes snapped open, his amber-colored eyes now replaced by a glowing, icy white color. He suddenly stretched himself out, releasing an invisible energy which caused destruction in it's path. The figure wasn't sure how far the force went, but what was left of his conscious mind thought of one thing… there was a big possibility that he eliminated many lives, all because of what he now was._

_After some time, he felt the energy leaving him completely, and he collapsed into the dirt on his knees. He looked up and his eyes widen when he saw a ghostly figure a few feet in front of him. She was beautiful, her shoulder length raven hair slightly pulled back by a single white headband. It matched the long flowing dress which fell to her bare feet. The woman smiled weakly with sadness in her eyes._

_"Jin," she whispered softly but still loud enough for him to hear her. She the proceeded in Japanese._ "Kiken'na no wa betsu no sekai de omachishiteimasu." __

_The demon in front of her glared, the icy look in his eyes growing much colder, but it was the lack of the conscious mind inside of him that spoke a single word to her._

"Okasan…"

_Then, everything went black._

In cold sweat, Jin Kazama sprang upward from his futon bed with a small gasp. His eyes quickly adjusted from suddenly opening up and found itself back in the darkness of his secluded home. For sometime, Jin stayed sat up while trying to catch his breath. Once he did, he whipped the beads of sweat off his face and let out a sigh.

"It's getting worse by the minute," he thought to himself. "Eventually, the devil inside me will reveal it's true self and use me as it's host."

For weeks now, he has been having these nightmares of him changing into the demon he was cursed to carry inside of him, one he had known ever since he learned about the Mishima family, which included his paternal grandfather Heihachi, the owner of the world famous Mishima Zaibatsu Corporation. It was Jin's father, Kazuya, though now deceased from what he's heard, who released the rage of the Mishima curse. Years ago, Kazuya sold his soul to the devil in order to get back at Heihachi for throwing him off a cliff as a child. It's believed that, through this deal, the devil gene had awakened. That gene was passed down to his only son.

Jin's hand balled up into a tight fist as he thought about the Mishimas. He would forever blame them for his curse... he had never asked for this.

He then thought more back on the nightmare, and remembered something that happened.

"Mother…"

His mother, Jun Kazama, appeared in the dream, which was the first time since the nightmares began. Why did she choose appear in my dreams now?

Then he remembered her words to him. 'Kiken'na no wa betsu no sekai de omachishiteimasu,' she had said to him. "Danger awaits in another world?" Jin repeated. "What did she mean by that?"

Jin thought about it for another minute. It was only just a dream, right?

The young Japanese man looked over at the clock next to him. It was only two in the morning and he had gone to bed not that long ago. He ran his fingers through his spiky black hair before lying back down. He sighed a bit before closing his light brown eyes.

Not a minute even went by when Jin heard a rustle right in his room. He sprang up again opening his eyes. "What the…" he muttered out loud. He looked around the room, but saw nothing. The room was still and completely silent.

He slightly shrugged, now believing that it was most likely the wind. He lied back down on his bed again and turned to his side. Before he closed his eyes, he saw a folded paper next to an envelope… which was not there a moment ago when he looked at his clock.

For the third time, Jin sprang up from his bed. Someone was in here…

The young man had a strong keen sense and would know if a presence of a living person was nearby. He tried to sense if anyone was around, but to no avail. He turned his back to the two items on his small stand. Jin slowly reached over for the folded paper and opened it up. He read the words slowly;

_Jin Kazama,_

_The item in the envelope will help lead you to a journey to break the curse of the devil gene. Come to the tournament and you will have answers. PS- You've done well in the King of Iron Fist Tournament… I wish you the best in this event._

It was all it said and it wasn't signed by anyone. Jin then shifted his eyes to the envelope. He took it into his hands and opened it. After reading the contents, he looked up a bit.

"The Blood Tournament… taking place in an unknown location," he said out loud. He saw the list of the ship locations and noticed that it expanded beyond Earthrealm. He then thought of his mother's words once again. _Is this all just a coincidence?_

He knew deep down that he shouldn't attend the tournament. In the last tournament he was in, he was able to feel the power of the devil gene increase with each battle he fought in. Even in the tournament before that one, it was especially a very close call when he fought Ogre, the demon soul stealer responsible for his mother's death. He at least had the chance to defeated the monster without changing.

But the very thought of not only his dream, but the fact that he would be fighting the best in the universe consumed him. He always looked forward to a good fight, but was also curious to know if the dream he had was a message from his mother from beyond the grave.

The tournament was within a few days, with Hong Kong being his closest location. Without even thinking about, he got up, got dressed in black civilian clothes, packed his gear, and headed off. It wouldn't be until he got there that he would even think about what he was doing…

~~~

**San Francisco, California**

"Daddy!" a young toddler called out. He ran as fast as his little legs could take him as he passed a large garden area. He found his father practicing his martial arts training. The blond father heard his son call to him. He stopped what he was doing and turned his head, a warm smile appearing on his face.

"Hey Mel," the father said picking up his son as soon as the toddler reached him. "What are you doing here?"

"It is time for dinner," Mel said with delight. "Mommy is waiting for you."

The older man smiled and scuffed Mel's hair, which was blond as well. "All right kiddo, let's go eat."

The two headed inside the large estate they lived in. They walked into the large dining room which food was already set by the servants. At the table, a young blond haired woman looked up with a warm smile.

"It's good for you to join us, Mr. Ken Masters," the woman said with a small laugh.

"I wouldn't miss a great meal like this, Ms. Eliza Masters," Ken replied giving a kiss on his wife's cheek. Ken set Mel on a chair with a seat booster, fastened him in, then sat down opposite of his wife. They put the food on the plate before consuming it.

"I was thinking," Eliza said beginning the daily dinner conversation. "Wouldn't it be nice to go on a cruise this summer? It's been quite some time, and I think it would be great for Mel."

Ken swallowed his food, then smiled. "That would be great. We can book as soon as we're done eating."

Eliza laughed a little. "Shouldn't we try to decided where the cruise would take place?"

"Hmmm… I don't think we've been to the Caribbean Islands yet, have we?"

"Actually we haven't. I was thinking we should take the cruise to Hawaii again, but it would be nice to go somewhere new."

Ken raised his cup filled with red wine. "Then the Caribbean Islands it is!"

It was at that moment that their butler walked in with a stack of mail in his hands. "Sir Masters, your mail just came in. Where would you like me to place them?"

"Right here is good," the millionaire suggested patting an empty spot on the table.

"As you wish, sir," the butler replied. He placed the mail on the table and then walked out of the dining room.

Ken looked through the mail. Most of them were just bills and junk mail. When he got down to the last one, he blinked a couple of times in confusion. It was addressed to him by name, but the mansion's address wasn't even placed on the envelope, there was no return address, and no stamp.

"What's this?" he muttered to himself. He slowly opened the envelope, then took out the folded paper.

Eliza had the feeling of what the mysterious mail was about. "It's not another tournament, is it?"

Ken was silent for a moment before saying, "…Yes."

"Don't even think about it!" Eliza demanded. "Ken, we've talked about this so many times! There's no reason for you to risk yourself at a silly tournament."

"But Eliza," her husband began to protest. "Just the sound of it all makes it seem like it's no ordinary tournament. We're leaving by a boat, then taken to another part of the universe-"

"Oh, great, now this tournament is not even on the same planet." She grabbed the invitation from his hands and read it herself. "And it's even more assuring to know that it's known as 'The Blood Tournament.'"

"Eliza, we've also been over the fact that I'll be doing things like this.”

"But unlike your friend Ryu, you have family now. I don't need someone coming into my house and tell me that my husband was killed and now I have to raise my son on my own."

For a moment, Ken thought about his best friend Ryu, a wander Japanese warrior would went around the world searching for the greatest challenges. It has been a year since Ken had last seen him, but he had a good feeling that Ryu will be going to this tournament as well.

"Eliza," Ken said putting a hand on his shoulder. "With Shadaloo gone, there's not much to worry about. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not only will I be fighting the greatest on Earth, but I'll also be fighting the greatest from worlds like Edenia and Keisei."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you anymore," Eliza said calmly.

"Everything will be fine," Ken tried to assure her. "Listen… once I'm done with this tournament, I won't attend another one for a long time. And I'll be home just in time for that cruise we just talked about."

Eliza looked into her husband's light brown eyes and saw that he was telling the truth. "You mean that?"

"Of course. I never keep a promise I never meant to keep."

His young wife embraced him in her arms and he returned the hug. "Come back home in one piece," she begged.

"You know I will."

"Eww!" Mel randomly cried out as he watched his parents hug. "Cooties!"

Ken and Eliza laughed a little at their son's comment. "Let's go eat and then we'll plan that summer cruise," Ken suggested.

~~~

**Somewhere in Japan**

In the deepest part of a very large forest area, a young man wearing a white karate gi and a red headband wrapped around his head sat under a large tree in a lotus position. His eyes were closed and he seemed as though he was in full concentration.

For sometime, he could only see darkness behind his closed eyes and only a few gust of wind was heard. He was in deep concentration and not even a nuclear war could bring him out of his meditation right now.

The young man wasn't sure how much time has passed since he sat down, but as he continued his meditation process, moments of his past suddenly flashed before him…

_Two young boys practiced their martial arts, sparring with one another. One wore a white gi with a matching headband around his head, his short dark brown hair slightly moving as he delivered a punch. The other was in a red gi, his long blond hair flying back and forth as he delivered a kick, a small smirk appearing on his face._

_They continued their sparring, which looked as though it would end up with a draw. It was then that their heard their master call out of them._

_"Ryu, Ken, you have done well in your morning session. Come inside now, I have much more to teach you."_

_Ken sighed a bit, disappointed that his sparring session with his best friend Ryu was over already. He followed Ryu into their small dojo, where their master sat down crossed-legged on the floor. Two candles were lit on either side of him, signaling them that their master was going to either have a meditating session or teach them of life's journey._

_Ryu and Ken sat in the two remaining mats. "What shall we be doing today Master Gouken?" asked Ryu with curiosity._

_Gouken smirked a bit. "You two have done very well these past years. Ryu, you have grown up well since I adopted you when you were just a babe. Ken, when you arrived here, you were arrogant, but with each training, you have grown much wiser and humble. What I'm here to tell you is that…there will be a time when I will leave this world-"_

_Both boys were shocked that their master was mentioning this. "You're not dying, are you master?" Ken asked worriedly._

_Gouken shifted his eyes over to the young blond boy keeping his smirk. "No Ken, I am quite healthy, but I am old, and I know that I don't have much more time on this planet. A master begins a student's training, but once the master is out of the student's life, it is that student's responsibility to continue his training, or it will all be in vain. Do not give up on your training for it will help you continue on your life's journey. And never give in to the darker side, no matter how tempting it may be…"_

The final sentence echoed in Ryu's head. It has been so long since this conversation took place, back when he was just a mere boy.

He continued to meditate, but the next flash in his mind jumped to years later when his master's life came to a grueling end…

_Ryu approached the dojo area and saw it in ruins. The building itself was still standing, but the yard was scattered with broken wood. He had just finished his training just a couple of miles away. When he left, everything was property put away and his master was…_

_"Master…" he muttered realizing that he had left Gouken there. He began sprinting towards the dojo, not realizing the few drops of blood that he passed by. He pushed the swinging door back and only walked two feet into the building when he saw a horrifying sight. His brown eyes widened in shock._

_"MASTER!" he screamed out. Ryu saw the body of Gouken slumped over against the wall long dead. Above his body on the wall was the Japanese sign of 'ten' written in his master's blood._

Another flash hit him, and Ryu thought he saw the face of the devil, his red eyes glaring at him and the fury hair matching the eyes was being blown by the wind he couldn't feel. " _Ryu…_ " the demon said.

Ryu managed to get out of his meditation process with a gasp, suddenly feeling a bead of sweat falling down the side of his face. He caught his breath, then leaned back into the tree he sat in front of. He knew the demon's face without mistake. It was his master's murderer, his own brother; Akuma.

Since Gouken's death, Ryu has been traveling around the world to not only live up to his promise to keep the Ansatsuken arts in recognition, but to also find Akuma to get revenge. The dark arts that his master mentioned… Ryu felt it within him that his body wanted to submit to the evil, especially when he felt angry. Ryu has been able to suppress it, but he wondered how long he can continue to do so.

After sometime, Ryu finally moved, reaching into his pocket and taking out a white envelope with only his name written on it. A mysterious figure only dressed in a dark purple robe had given this to him yesterday… an invitation to The Blood Tournament. He knew he would be fighting the best of the best. He was sure that it would be no surprise to anyone who knew him that he had decided to attend this tournament. But he wondered one other thing…

_Will he be there? My master's murderer?_

Ryu wasn't too sure, but he had the feeling that Akuma will indeed be there. Akuma's only purpose in his life was to fight the strongest, only to kill them in cold blood in sadistic pleasure. There was no doubt in his mind that somehow, during the time at the tournament, Akuma will show up.

_I must stop him before he causes more chaos._

With that, Ryu picked himself up, threw his large duffel bag over his shoulder, and began making his journey to Hong Kong. He had only a few days of traveling before the ships would leave the docks.

~~~

**Osaka, Japan**

**The First Annual Osaka Women's Tournament**

It had been an exciting week. Female fighters of different ages from all over Japan competed in a brand new tournament for the prize money. The tournament wasn't as endorsed like the King of Iron Fist Tournament, but it brought enough of a crowd for the competition to become an eventful one.

After a week of many fights, it finally came down to two fighters, and only one of them who will go home with the prize money. One was an older teenager by the name of Asuka Kazama. She was determined to win the money to rebuild her father's dojo, which was heavily damaged in an attack just weeks ago. Asuka brushed her chin length brown hair back a bit, which was cut in layers. Her fighting outfit consisted of a glazed bluish-silver color with matching shorts. Underneath her jacket was a blue mid-drift tank top and also wore knee-high blue, black, and gray boots. Determination seemed to be glued on to her face.

Her opponent happened to be one of the three new friends she met at the tournament, the wrestler Rainbow Mika Nanakawa. Determination was also on her face as well. Her long blond hair was done in two wild pigtails and she wore a blue banded mask over her face, leaving holes for her blue eyes to poke through. She wore a blue swimsuit-like outfit with white trims at each end. The outfit was also cut, revealing her shoulders, elbows, and her waist. Underneath, she wore a small white tube top with a pair of blue hearts on the front. Around her legs were blue bands and she wore knee-high white wrestling boots on her feet.

Watching the two of them were two other friends who had participated in the tournament as well. There was the ninja Ibuki, who were an all black and brown ninja outfit, but revealed her face. Her mouth was normally covered with a brown cloth to give her more of a ninja look. Her long black hair was down in thin dreadlocks and their were pulled back high in a single ponytail.

The other was the young schoolgirl known as Sakura Kasugano. She wore a blue and white sailor senshi outfit along with her white headband, red shoes, and red fighting gloves. Her brown hair was also done in lairs, but it was about two inches shorter than Asuka's.

Ibuki looked over at Sakura as Mika and Asuka prepared to fight. "This is so exciting, our two new friends fighting each other in the last round."

Sakura smiled at the young ninja girl. "I know! I think I got better since my last meeting with Ryu!"

Sakura began thinking the white-clad man. He was an idol to her and trained herself in the martial arts. She had hoped to be trained by him one day, but that day hasn't come yet.

Sakura's thought were quickly interrupted when a man in pink jumped in between them and put one arm around each girl. "I know this is so great!" he cried out with happy tears forming in his eyes.

Both girls growled a bit. "Could you go away Dan?" asked Ibuki who was on the verge of knocking out the annoying man.

"But we are good friends and stick with one another until the end!" Dan exclaimed, clearly missing what Ibuki had requested.

Sakura sighed, feeling a bit sorry for him. "How about you go get us some punch, Hibiki-san… and try not to spill it this time."

"Okay!" the pink-clad man said before running off.

Ibuki growled. "He's been annoying ever since the competition began… and remind me again what he's doing here."

“Trying to recruit potential students for his Saikyo dojo,” Sakura replied.

Before Ibuki said anything else, the announcer spoke into the microphone. "Ladies! You may begin when you are ready!"

"It's starting!" cried Sakura.

In the ring, Mika and Asuka started at each other, determination still on their faces. After sometime of this, Mika smirked at the young girl.

"Good luck," she said.

Asuka smirked back as well. "Same to you. And don't think I won't hold back."

"Same here."

After another few seconds, both girls charged at each other, beginning the fight. Mika threw a punch while Asuka threw a kick, both of them colliding before pulling back again. The two girls exchanged punches and kicks, both of blocking each other for quite sometime before Mika jumped back.

Mika quickly turned herself around, bended a bit before launching herself backwards in fast speed. Asuka was surprised by the amount of speed Mika put into that maneuver. She tried to get away, but the young wrestler managed to knock her down. Mika landed back on her feet. She turned around just in time to see Asuka running towards her.

Once again, the girls exchanged moves. Despite their new friendship, they fought each other as though they were enemies.

As they continued, Mika ended up missing a block and received a blow to the face by Asuka's fist. Asuka then took the opportunity to spin herself around a few times. An energy wave entered her and during her final turn, she landed a hard kick to Mika's side. Mika went flying across the mat and landed just at the edge's corner. Asuka charged after her then. Mika quickly got up and once again, the girls exchanged more punches and kicks.

Then, to Asuka's surprise, Mika managed to trip her. Before Asuka could get the chance to get up, Mika grabbed a hold of her leg and twisted herself around, her back facing the young girl… taking her leg with her.

The twisting of her leg caused Asuka to scream out loud. The referee on the mat bended down to her, waiting to see if the teenager will tap on the mat, which would officially end the match. Mika continued to twist, but Asuka wasn't about to submit just yet.

After sometime, Asuka shook herself from Mika's hold, then delivered a kick to Mika's face. Mika stumbled to the floor. Then, Asuka jumped up and landed her elbow into Mika's stomach causing the wind to knock out of the wrestler. Asuka got herself up to give Mika room to breathe as she coughed a bit to catch her breath.

Mika wasn't even ready, but she quickly turned around and tackled Asuka to the floor. The girls struggled against each other for some time. Everyone in the audience anticipated who was going to emerge the victor.

Finally, Mika got Asuka in a choke hold, using all of her strength to hold the teen down. Asuka used everything she got to try to get out of Mika's hold, but to no avail. After a few minutes, the teen realized that it was no use.

"You… win…" Asuka managed to say. Immediately after, Mika let go of her causing Asuka to fall forward in relief.

The announcer talked into the microphone again. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the First Annual Osaka Women's Tournament is… Rainbow Mika!"

Everyone cheer for Mika as she jumped up and down with excitement. As she did, the sponsors of the tournament came to her with a trophy and the prize money, which was packed in a black business suitcase. They opened it up to her showing her the money inside before closing it again.

After reveling in the excitement, Mika began to walk over to Asuka, who was just sitting up after her defeat. She looked up at the winner of the tournament, who put a hand out towards her. "I hope this doesn't change anything about our friendship."

Asuka was a bit hesitant at first. She was a bit angry that she didn't win the prize money to fix her father's dojo, but what was meant to be was meant to be. She forced a small smile at Mika.

"Nothing has changed," Asuka replied taking Mika's hand. Mika helped her up.

"You know," Mika began. "I came to this tournament because I wanted to be the best. You came here for your father's sake. I believe half of my winnings belongs to you."

Asuka softly gasped at the offer. "Mika… I couldn't… you won that fair and square."

"I know, but it doesn't hurt to give my winnings to a friend in need."

Tears formed in Asuka's eyes and she hugged Mika. "Thank you so much. My father would appreciate this so much!"

It was then that Sakura and Ibuki joined the two girls. They formed a group hug in excitement. "That was a great fight!" exclaimed Sakura. "I'm so glad one of us won."

"Congratulations Mika," Ibuki said. "And you did great Asuka."

"Thanks," the two girls replied.

When Mika looked up, she saw that everyone had stopped in their places. A confused look appeared on her face. Has time suddenly stopped? she thought nervously.

The three other girls noticed Mika's expression as well. They looked around and saw that everyone had stopped in their places. Sakura almost laughed when she saw Dan carrying the drinks, but now was beginning to trip thanks to a mischievous young boy.

"This is weird," Ibuki said. "What's going on here?"

Suddenly, someone moved within the crowd, causing the girls to jump a little. A floating figure in a purple robe glided towards them. The girls became nervous, not sure whether to run, or just be as frozen as the people around them. That was until they all noticed four envelopes in the figure's hands.

"Looks like he has some sort of message for us," said Mika.

Soon, the figure was at arm's length from the four of them. The robed-figure quietly passed the envelopes to the girls, each one of them having their names on it. Then, the figure faded away. As soon as it did, time continued once again and everyone moved about as though nothing happened.

"AAHHH!" Dan cried out as he landed on the ground, spilling the punches on the floor.

The girls didn't even hear him. They all stared at the envelopes until they began opening them. They read what was inside, then looked up at each other.

"Another tournament," said Mika. "What do you think?"

A smile came over Asuka's face. "I think we should go. This sounds quite different from all the other tournaments. It sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I wonder if Ryu will be there?" asked a curious Sakura.

"You sure love talking about this Ryu," replied Asuka.

"I think it would be great," Mika replied. "And we'll get to see which one of us will last the longest in the tournament."

"I wonder what the prize is?" Ibuki asked.

"I'm sure we'll know when we get there," Asuka answered.

The girls began heading off out of the ring. As they did, one of the girls' invitations fell out of the envelope and landed on the floor. It wasn't until a moment later that Dan noticed the piece of paper on the floor. Letting curiosity get the best of him, Dan walked over to it, picked it up, and read it to himself. Afterwards, an excited look appeared on his face.

"This shall be a big moment for me!" Dan cried out. "With this tournament, not only will I be showing off my Saikyo style to all of Earth, but I'll be showing them to all of the universe! I better get to Hong Kong, and soon!"

Lifting his head high, Dan marched out of the arena with the invitation in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter was written prior to Master Gouken's death being retconned in Street Fighter IV.**


	5. Chapter Four

**Unknown Area**

In an area somewhere in the mountains, a group of men in black trench coats surround a single man in a circle. The man looked around from underneath his dark sunglasses. His face was expressionless, just like the figures surrounding him.

The man looked at each figure before turning to the largest of the group. "Kanaye… hand over the government data," he asked as politely as possible. The figure knew, however, that the leader Kanaye wasn't just going to just hand over the disk filled with secret government data. The data, as far as his superiors told him, contained the kind of information that, if any terrorist managed to get their hands on it, the world would be doomed in a nuclear war. Kanaye and his gang were a group of terrorists working for a secret organization. The figure too worked for a secret organization, but for a better cause… to maintain the safety of Earthrealm and it's people.

Kanaye let out a maniacal laugh. "You think I would hand over the data that easily, stranger… think again!"

The figure slightly brushed his bleach blond hair, then scratched his face, which was part of his dark complexion indicating that he was of African descendent. Going across the middle of his face was a large scar in a shape of an X. "Then I have no choice but to use force."

Still keeping a neutral expression, the dark figure reached behind his back for his large kunais, which rested in their scabbards. Kanaye and his gang saw the agent reach for them. As though on cue, they also reached out for their own weapons.

The wind around them blew a bit, the black scarf the agent briefly carried by the wind and flapped a bit behind him. For a moment, nothing or no one else was moving aside from the scarf.

After some time, one of Kanaye's men dived right after the stranger and attempted to slaughter him with his knives. The lone man was too fast for him and he managed to take him down with a single blow to the head. The other men followed and all attempted to try to kill him. Kanaye watched in delight as his men ambushed him.

To all of their dismay, however, the stranger was what you would imagine as a true ninja, one without all the garments which would have completely covered him. He fought in his ninjitsu fighting style and quickly took down all of the minions in lightning speed. Kanaye's delight suddenly turned into shock as all of his men crumble to the ground in defeat.

The dark man immediately gazed at the leader afterwards. "And you call yourselves a terrorist organization. A dozen of your men couldn't even take one man down."

Kanaye's rage fumed within his blood and he quickly took out his straight sword. "Curse you, you son of a-" Before he could even finish his statement, he quickly ran towards the stranger and swung his sword at him. The dark man blocked it with his kunais followed by steel after steel colliding with one another.

They fought like this for five minutes before the lone stranger kicked Kanaye on the side. Seconds after, he head something that sounded like both plastic and metallic hitting the ground. It quickly occurred to him that Kanaye lost his grip on the stolen data. The stranger had no reason to keep fighting the leader anymore. With a quick swift of his knives, he opened Kanaye's throat deeply, blood immediately pouring out from the fatal wound. Kanaye looked at him in utter shock before collapsing into the ground, his now-lifeless body still.

The stranger took no time to reflect the fight he just won. Instead, he walked over to the floppy disk that laid before him, quickly picked it up, and placed it safely in his pouch. Then, he reached his right finger to his ear where a small headset was placed. He slightly pressed the ear piece inward until he head a light beep noise.

"This is Raven," he stated. "The government data has been retrieved. Mission complete."

A voice came in right after. "Good job, return to HQ immediately."

Raven nodded and took his hand away with a sigh of relief. No doubt, he loved this job and was completely dedicated to it, but lately during these past few months, he has been easily taking down criminals without putting up a good fight.

 _They have been making me fight amateurs lately,_ he thought. _This has been becoming boring for some time now…_

He wondered though. He was considered one of the most skilled and ruthless agents in the world and the only one who has never failed a mission, even when the job was against all odds. Raven wondered thought, is this all just a coincidence that he's been given the boring assignments, or are the people he worked for giving unskilled agents the harder missions?

Raven shook the thought out of his head and scold himself for drifting off into his thoughts. He can't lose it now. He trained himself to not show emotion or think of the past as part of his job and drifting off into another part of his mind was a very rare occasion.

 _I should head back,_ he thought. Before he could move however, he heard the beep noise from his head set.

"Agent Raven, come in Raven," a voice said.

Raven quietly sighed and pressed down slightly on the ear piece. "Raven here."

"We have another assignment for you and this one cannot wait."

Raven became confused by that. "What about the government data?"

"One of our men will meet you in San Francisco, give him the data there."

"What's the mission?"

The commander paused for a moment before continuing. "It appears that there will be a tournament coming up, but this seems to be no ordinary event. It's called The Blood Tournament. A ship will be leaving from both Hong Kong and San Francisco in a few days to take the best warriors to the tournament. San Francisco is the closet location from where you are now, so head over there."

Raven nodded a bit and spoke into the headset again. "How does it seem like it's not an ordinary tournament?"

"…it's not taking place here."

The agent became a bit confused. "What you mean it's not taking place here?"

"It's taking place in another realm other than Earth. Unfortunately, the exact location information is currently confidential and no one can figure out where, but intelligence has a feeling it will be in Outworld."

Raven recalled the realm of Outworld, though it's been years since he last heard about it. "Outworld? What makes them think that?"

"Rumor has it that the host of the tournament goes by the name of Shang Tsung, a resident of that realm. According to intelligence files on him, he is a sorcerer bent on stealing souls for himself to maintain his youth. We believe that he will do the same at this tournament. That's why we need you to go out there and investigate."

A side smirk appeared on Raven's face, a very rare thing to happen. Just as he thought his missions were becoming boring, they give them this… a mission to another world to a tournament hosted by a soul-feasting being. 'This may be interesting after all,' he thought.

The voice came back again after a moment of silence. "You're our best agent Raven…we are aware that this will be your first mission outside of Earth and who better than it be you? Your mission is to find out the sorcerer's motives and report to HQ immediately after. We are counting on you. Good luck."

"Raven signing off and heading to achieve mission."

The lone agent cracked his hand a bit. 'Time for a real mission,' he thought. He walked a few feet forward before leaping up into the air in high speed.

~~~

**Somewhere in rural Japan**

A light fog covered a natural forest with only the sounds of chirping birds being heard. The sun was rising up to help the day begin, but it was unfortunately hidden by gray clouds which was threatening to rain. The air was fresh otherwise with it's natural forest smell.

In the middle of this forest laid a medium-sized dojo, a trail leading up to it. Right as one would enter, a lone person in an orange ninja suit would have been seen near the back sitting on his knees with his hands placed on his lap. A candle was lit on either side of him as his eyes were closed, fully concentrated in his meditation.

A handsome figure, he was of medium build, wearing a net shirt under his sleeveless garment. On the left side of his chest, there were two kanji writings on them written in white. Around his slim waist was a yellow band-like sash, the color matching his fighting gloves. On his feet were orange and white tennis shoes. Also on his head was short but wild dark brown hair, the front of it in bangs just ending above his eyes.

This figure was known as the Bushin ninja Guy Hinato. The dojo he was surrounded by was home of those training in the Bushin arts. He had been training here for years along with his younger siblings since the death of their parents at a young age back in the United States, where he was born. Though he did leave the dojo for sometime a few years back to live in the USA metropolitan called Metro City, he still called this place his home.

Usually during his meditations, Guy was in full concentration, not even the loudest sound in the world would get him out of it. But this time, the sound of someone entering the room disturbed him from his relaxation.

A small grunt escaped the Japanese man's throat. "Haru, I told you not to disturb me when I'm meditating," he slightly barked, knowing that this particular student had the tendencies to pull pranks on unexpecting people.

Feeling a bit annoyed as he heard more footsteps, Guy quickly opened his dark eyes with a blank expression on his face. At the entrance of the door, a tall muscular figure stood there, leaning again the frame of the door with a small smirk on his face, his arms folded in front of his white t-shirt. He also wore blue jeans and had a blond version of Guy's hair, only a little shorter.

"Nice to see that you're still the same, Guy," the figure said now smiling more.

The blank expression turned into a bit of a surprised one, followed by a smirk. "It's been a long time, Cody Travers."

Cody smile turned back into a smirk. He put his arms down and began walking over to his friend. Guy noticed that his old friend had bruises around both of his wrist. He knew that Cody had been in jail for sometime... it was the last that he heard of him a few years back.

Guy stood up. "Last I heard, you were in jail for assault."

Cody sighed a bit, the smirk disappearing. "Yeah, I just got released a few months ago. I wasn't really sure what to do with myself… still don't know, really."

"What brings you here then?" Guy asked with curiosity.

"Jessica Haggar of all people."

Guy was surprised to hear that. "Your ex?"

The blond nodded. "I know, surprising. I haven't seen her in years, ever since she moved out of Metro City with her newly-wedded husband. They just divorced last month though. It's too bad it had to end the way it did, our relationship."

"I'm still curious to know," the orange-clad ninja asked. "What did she do that made you decide to come here?"

Cody took a hand and rubbed the back of his own neck. "It's a long story, but in a nutshell, she made me realize that I should atone for my sins. I think I've been a drifter for far too long. She made me remember how much I loved her and what I fought for back in the day, back when you and I, along with Haggar, fought the Mad Gear gang to save her. I guess a part of me still cares for her, but there's nothing I can do about it now. What we had then, it's long gone.”

Cody shook his head a bit. "Anyway, what has been up with you lately?"

Guy was silent for a minute before reaching into the pocket of his outfit and pulled out a white envelope. "This came to my attention last night. I spent all night meditating, trying to figure out what it could mean."

Cody took the envelope out of his old friend's hand and took out the invitation that was inside. Cody half expected it to be for a tournament and it was, but even to him, it felt different.

"Does any of your fellow companions here know about it?" Cody asked.

Guy shook his head. "I preferred they didn't. Only sensei knows about this. I don't want the others to get too excited, even Maki. I don't think she's ready for something like this."

"That's too bad. Speaking of Maki, how are you and Rena?"

The Bushin ninja sighed. It definitely has been way too long since he last saw Cody. "Leukemia, four years ago."

Cody was in a bit of a shock over the horrible news. "I'm sorry to hear that. That also had to have been hard on Maki, losing her older sister... how is she now?"

"She's doing all right, getting better everyday."

The two fell silent for a moment before Cody placed the invitation back in the envelope and handed it back to his friend. "Are you going?"

"Yes," Guy answered. "I feel that I should go to this." Then he looked at Cody seriously. "Since you know about this, would you accompany me? Without getting into trouble of course."

Cody laughed a bit and lightly slapped his friend on the back. "Of course I will. And don't worry, I'm not as crazy as I used to be."

"I object otherwise." Guy lightly laughed after the comment.

"I should let Jessica know though," Cody said.

"Why?"

"Cause she's waiting at the hotel we're staying at."

Guy sighed. "You definitely failed to mention that. Since the tournament is in a few days with Hong Kong being our closest departing location, we should get going immediately. I'll have one of my students inform her."

"Yeah, it's best," Cody said. "She might ring my neck if I ever mentioned anything that involves fighting."

They both lightly laughed before Guy spoke. "Welcome back old friend."

"Yeah, it's good to be here again."

While they talked, a female figure was listening in on them since Cody walked in. This was the girl Guy mentioned, Maki. A bit of disappointment appeared on her face as she looked at them.

 _Why would Guy not tell me about this?_ she thought a bit frustrated. _Am I not good enough to fight in this tournament?_

She knew Guy was quite stubborn, especially after the death of her sister Rena, who was engaged to him at the time. In the later years, Maki had hoped that somehow, another woman would come to his life to change him back to who he once was, but that hasn't happened yet.

Maki tossed her thick blond hair away from her shoulder as she watched the men continue to talk. After some time and after talking to a few students, they left the dojo and began heading their way.

Not realizing that she's nearly just as stubborn, she got herself geared up, her baton packed away, and began following the boys to the tournament.

_I'll prove to them that I'm good enough to fight in this tournament!_

~~~

**Hong Kong, China**

In the streets of Hong Kong, a large crowd of pedestrians and drivers crowded the area as rush hour began. People tried to go about as quickly as possible to their destination knowing that it would take a long time to get there.

One of many people's pet peeves were that they always had to move out of the way for those 'punk' kids who were always riding on their bikes, roller blades, etc. For those in downtown Hong Kong however, today wasn't their lucky day.

A pair of brothers skated their way down through the crowd in high speed. One was on a skateboard, his black and blue cap covering the upper portion of his face. His braided brown hair was tossed around as he rode forward. On him was a white Chinese garment and black baggy pants along with black and yellow sneakers.

The other was on roller blades. His dark hair, matching his brother's, was spiked outward in front of his face only moving every once in a while thanks to the large amount of gel he used to keep it up. He wore a similar Chinese garment, but in red, and he also wore black baggy pants and black and yellow sneakers.

The crowd growled or cursed out at them as they passed by. Neither one of them cared however because they were racing each other home after a full day at work.

The younger of the two looked over and smiled. "You can't beat me Yang!" He saw a garbage can coming and jumped over it with ease.

Yang only smirked at the comment. "Don't be too confident Yun." He saw a large crack in the curve and jumped over that as well.

For some time, they raced each other, avoiding collision at any cost. At one point, Yang did bump into an old lady. Feeling guilty and having respect for the elderly, he took the time to help her up and made sure that she was all right before continuing the race. With the lost amount of time, Yun was way ahead of him.

Soon, Yun reached the building they lived in first. He waited by the front door until his brother caught up with him.

"I win," Yun said with a grin.

Yang glared at him. "Whatever. Come on, let's go see how Grandfather is doing."

Yun's grin disappeared then and his expression became just as serious as his brother's. They entered the building and through what was once the Genhanton restaurant their grandfather Gen had owned. Six months ago, the restaurant was forced to close down after the business went bankrupt.

At the same time, their grandfather was diagnosed with a rare disease and only had a year to live, so the doctors declared. Since then, the Lee brothers had been working odd jobs to raise money to pay off loans.

They quietly went upstairs and reached an opened door leading to their grandfather's room. Yang opened the door more and went in, followed by Yun. Gen looked up at his grandsons and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Good evening my grandsons," he said, his voice a bit rash. "Come in closer, I have something for you."

The boys figured that Gen was going to give them another life lesson. It was boring, but they try to listen anyways, for his sake.

But instead of another life lesson, Gen reached for an enveloped that laid on his nightstand. He grabbed it and gave it to Yang with his shaky hands. "I want you boys to have this."

"What is it?" Yun asked with curiosity.

"Open it."

The brothers were hesitant at first until Yang opened up the envelope. After they read what was in it, they were very surprised by this.

"A tournament?" Yun asked surprised.

Gen nodded and coughed a bit. "Yes. This was given to me a couple of days ago. The inviter must have not realized my current condition. So that is why I am giving this to theboth of you. You may chose to go or not. Do not worry about me, the caretakers will care for me."

"Are you sure grandfather?" asked Yun.

"It's all right with me grandson. You both love the fight and I allow you to do this. You have much to offer than I can."

Yun nodded decided to go to the tournament. However, Yang shook his head. "I think at least one of us should stay. I can't leave you like this, grandfather."

Gen forced a smirk. "It's all right Yang, I allow you to go. If anything, escort Yun to the dock on the day of departure. If you don't return, I'll understand. Good luck then."

Yang felt a bit grim. Even if he did decide to go, he would feel guilty leaving his sick grandfather behind. Even in this condition, he wondered why his grandfather was insisting on making them go.

The truth was the only thing Gen knew, something that he wanted to pursue while the boys were away. Something that the brothers, forever, would never know about…


	6. Chapter Five

**Phoenix, Arizona**

"Another year gone," said a young woman. "…and no success."

The woman, known as Julia Chang, sighed to herself as she leaned back into her chair and stared at the computer, which contained data for her project to rejuvenate the forests. She had just finished her second year at college and since she started, she has been working on this project. Last year, the project failed because of the unexpected heat wave in Arizona. This year, they attempted to rejuvenate in the Northern area, but nothing has changed as of now.

While leaning back into her chair, Julia slightly turned her head over to the television, which was turned on. It was the middle of the night and it was playing a repeat of the First Annual Women's Tournament, which premiered yesterday in the states. On it was one of the fighters known as Rainbow Mika, the winner of the tournament. The television showed her excitement over her win and receiving the prize money.

 _That was an interesting tournament,_ Julia thought to herself while adjusting her red-rimmed glasses.

Julia leaned forward again and stared at her computer. She studied more of the forest data, hoping to somehow discover a theory she hadn't thought about, but it was to no avail. Before she knew it, however, Julia had fallen asleep right there in front of her computer…

_She found herself walking through a forest area. Despite all the leaves, the bright sun managed to shine down on to the ground. The moths and butterflies flew around happily and the sounds of chirping birds were heard._

_Julia looked through the environment cheerfully. She was wearing a brown leather sleeveless top over a green tank-top showing off her slim abdomen, matching leather gloves, short blue jeans shirt held up by a brown belt buckle, brown leather boots over long white socks, and her long dark hair was down in two braids in the back held by different colored ties. Around her head was a purple and red headband with a pair of white and black feathers indicating her Indian background._

_Everything seemed as though they should be and the young woman was enjoying every minute of it. Then, she turned her head and saw a figure standing by a large tree. She was dressed in similar clothes, but her hair was tied back in one short braid. The figure was of both Indian and Asian descendant. Even with the happiness around them, the lone person showed sadness on her face._

_Julia's heart broke at that moment. Not only did it shock her to see the sadness in such a happy place, but she also recognized the person._

_Before she could call out to her, however, darkness filled Julia's world…_

Julia woke up with a small gasp and threw herself back a bit into the chair she was sitting on. Her red glasses were crooked on her face and she immediately adjusted them once she was aware that she was back in the computer room.

"It was just a dream…" she said to herself. She shifted her eyes a bit and saw two envelopes stapled together next to the keyboard, both with her name on it. Julia picked it up in confusion. "That wasn't there before…" She looked around the room, knowing that someone had entered the house, but even it was just a minute ago, the mysterious person was long gone.

The young woman looked at the time and was a bit surprised that it was 3 in the morning. She had fallen asleep three hours ago, but it didn't seem that long to her. She shook the thought out of her head then and opened up the letter. It was only a short letter, which wasn't signed;

_Julia-_

_If you want to find out the fate of your mother, come to The Blood Tournament._

_Mother…_ she thought, remembering the figure that appeared in her dream. Though she wasn't her real mother, Michelle Chang had adopted her when Julia's own tribe abandoned her in a temple when she was just an infant. For what reason, she would never know. Just two years ago, Michele had left the states to go to Japan, but never stated a reason.

She never returned.

Julia had been on a mission to search for Michelle while in school, but lately there hasn't been any leads, at least until now. The young woman placed the letter down and opened up the other envelope, which was the invitation to The Blood Tournament.

 _If she is there,_ Julia thought. _This may be my chance to find her. It's my only lead right now…_

She took the rest of the night off to rest. When she awoke the next morning, Julia packed her bags and began her destination to the nearest departing location, San Francisco…

~~~

**Japan, Unknown Area**

An army of cyborgs marched their way through what looked like a lab. It would have been a normal march had it not been for their quickened pace. Even so, they remained in perfect sync

In a dark corner, a lone green female cyborg hid where she wouldn't be seen. She began to wonder how long this was going to last and whether or not the other cyborgs would find her.

 _With the technologies,_ why not? she thought to herself.

The female cyborg had no name, but she did have a codename: Matrik, the first female cyborg of the Tekunin clan. The clan's main motives was to take over Earth starting with Japan. Strong warriors were captured and recruited as cyborgs, forced to join the side of their leader, the only one who willingly accepted his fate years ago; Sektor.

An accidental override helped Matrik develop a sense of self and knowing what was right and wrong. This happened during a download remission to strengthen her powers, by Sektor's orders. As though on instinct, Matrik attacked those in the lab and narrowly made her way out. Though she escaped, she still had a long way to go. There was still the actual hideout itself to get out of.

Matrik tried to think of herself in the meantime. She knew that she was a strong warrior who too was captured against her own will, but that was all. As much as she tried, she couldn't remember anything else; her family, where she lived, her childhood… even her own name…

Each cyborg had their own unique ability whether it was a possession of a weapon, a power over an element, or an inhuman ability like invisibility. Matrik had weapons, and they had proved to be quite useful in any situation.

It was at that moment that a cyborg with an ability to locate their targets easily, spotted her. "Target located," the cyborg called out in it's robotic tone.

To silence it, Matrik lifted her foot up to the machine's neck and gave a kick. It looked as though she had missed, but to the machine's dismay, it's neck detached from it's body, electric shocks coming out of the loose wires. Matrik kept her foot up for a moment, the saw at the bottom of her foot still running.

Because of the enemy's call, the other cyborgs heard the commotion and began going after Matrik. She prepared herself and fought all of the cyborgs who approached her with various punches and kicks. Once she took them all down, a lone red cyborg stood in front of her, clapping his hands in a slow rhythmic beat.

 _Sektor…_ Matrik thought bitterly.

"Very good," Sektor said in his deep, robotic tone. Up until Matrik freed herself, Sektor was the only cyborg who did not talk like a computer despite the tone itself. "I knew that I made you one of the best. Unfortunately, it's such a waste considering your betrayal to the clan. You are now targeted for death."

Matrik wasted no time. She quickly put her right hand out as a small compartment opened up on her palm. Quickly, about five small golden balls flew after Sektor as though they were attached to him. Sektor knew exactly what they were and quickly made a run for it until they exploded in the air.

Sektor quickly turned around, a compartment opening up on his chest. Two rows of six missiles were shown and he began shooting them at Matrik without hesitation. Matrik also made a run for it until she heard the sixth missile explode.

After sometime, the debris cleared. Matrik and Sektor only stood there, looking at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Then, to Matrik's surprise, Sektor spoke. "This can wait, I have no time for this. If you still want to kill me, however, meet me in Outworld where the Blood Tournament will take place." With that, he teleported out of the room and disappeared.

 _Damn it!_ Matrik thought pissed. _The fight didn't even start and he ups and leaves._

Matrik knew though that Sektor received an invitation to a tournament in Outworld, a world she had heard of many times. A boat was to leave from Hong Kong in a few days, that she only knew.

_Perhaps he wants another battle there…unless it's some sort of trap…_

Either way, Matrik was willing to risk it in order to freedom. And perhaps, if anything, Sektor would know something about who she really was before her capture. If it means regaining her memory, then she had no choice but to follow Sektor to the world unknown to her…

~~~

**New York City, USA**

The streets began to crowd with car and pedestrians as rush hour began to approach. People were busy minding their businesses and trying to rush their way back to their destinations. Though it was barely on anyone's minds, it was the perfect time for any criminal to pickpocket.

A man in a dark brown trench coat walked down the street near Times Square, a black brief case in one hand and an emotionless look on his face. Those who were careful about pick pocket criminals stayed back from him as far as they could manage.

The man continued walking, ignoring those around him. He then turned his head when he noticed construction going about. It looked as though the workers were covering yet another of the many potholes left behind by the harsh storms of last winter.

He wasn't watching where he was going at that moment because he then bumped into something who was attempting to walk past him. A frustrated look appeared on his face as he turned his head to take a look at who was responsible. Once he got a look, he felt his breath taken away by the red-haired beauty who stood before him.

Her hazel eyes seemed to gleam in delight and her hair, tied in two ponytails with two more strands hanging on either side of her light-toned face, swayed in the light wind that began to pick up. She wore a black strapless leather corset, a zipper going up the middle and a short open vest with black trims. A black belt held up her red pants, two openings with three black straps shown going down to her knees on either leg. She also wore black boots with two metal rims going around them, which the man found a bit odd, but gave no other thought to it.

The man took a few more moments to look at her before smiling. "Sorry miss," he said.

The red-haired woman only smirked. "Don't worry about it, just watch where you're going next time." She gave him a wink before passing him to continue walking. The man eyed her, feeling a bit attracted to her before he too continued down the street.

When the man was completely gone, the woman lifted a hand which held a black leather wallet. She fished through it and found many hundred dollar bills and two credit cards. She took it all and tossed them aside making it look like as though the man ended up dropping his wallet. _Jackpot!_ she thought. _This guy was loaded._

Later, she reached the lower side of the city. The area seemed deserted, though many would think that. The red haired woman entered a abandoned warehouse. All of the rooms were in open space with only one single fan running on the ceiling. The place was quite warm despite the cool weather, but it was something the woman had adjusted to long ago.

She walked about ten feet before seeing a blur passing in front of her. The figure stopped in front of her, revealing himself. A full oxygen mask covered his face with only his long black hair falling out and his deformed cheeks partly revealed. Behind his back was an oxygen tank held by a pair of straps over his shoulders with a single tube coming out of it and into his throat. He also wore a black sleeveless trench coat, a green vest, short black gloves over his bandaged hands going up to mid-forearm, brown pants, and black combat boots. Other than his cheeks, the only other part of his body that were shown were his arms, which were covered with various burn scars.

The figure breathed similar to Darth Vadar in Star Wars, but it wasn't as deep nor as loud. He looked at the woman through the small holes of his mask. "Where have you been Kira?" he asked with curiosity.

Kira smirked at him and showed him the cash and cards. "Getting paid." She handed the money to him.

"Good," Kabal replied. "And you came back just in time. Our 'master' informed me this morning that we have a special mission. He said it should bring the name of The Black Dragon to everyone's fear."

Kira nodded. "So am I actually going to meet the 'master' for once?"

Kabal nodded in confirmation.

The young woman bent down a bit and reached for her boot. Held by the two metal rings on it was one of the two Dragon Teeth daggers she possessed. "Will we be recruiting? Killing?"

"Both actually, but that's all he said-"

It was at that moment that a portal opened up before them. They watched as a male figure appeared before them. The two of them bowed in respect, but then the male called out. "Rise! There is no need to bow to me."

"I apologize Havik," Kabal replied standing up along with Kira. "I forget that you are from the realm of Chaos."

Havik took a couple of steps forward. Kira wasn't sure whether or not he was grinning because the fact was that from the nose to his chin, Havik's face was rotted off, showing off a part of his skull. Other than that, the upper portion of his face was normal showing black bushy eyebrows and cold transparent eyes that were almost blue. He wore his black hair up in a high ponytail. His clothing consisted of an open helmet with his realm's symbol on it, black and red garments going over his shoulders revealing most of his torso (surprisingly not rotting off) with only one sleeve on his left arm, and black finger cut short gloves. He also wore another symbol of Chaos over his chest, a red scarf hanging over his back, black pants, a long red sash, and silver boots.

"Your mission is in Outworld," Havik began his statement. Despite being from a realm filled with Chaos, he spoke in a well-mannered, soft spoken voice. "There will be a tournament taking place called The Blood Tournament. Rumor has it that _Chishio No Me,_ the Bloody Eye medallion, has been found after many years of disappearance."

Kabal looked up with interest. "The item rumored to be most powerful artifact in the universe…"

"Exactly," Havik replied. "Whatever Outworld will do with the artifact is none of our concern. Our only concern for this mission is to take the medallion for ourselves. We will rule the universe bring chaos and the name of The Black Dragon clan to everyone's knees. Just imagine what we can do with it… having all that unlimited power."

"We will get more recruits for sure if we succeed," said Kira. "They would want this power. The Black Dragon will no longer be a joke, a band of pirates. We will be better than before."

"Indeed." Havik looked at the both of them. "In the meantime, the closest we can get to the medallion is allying ourselves with Shao Kahn himself. He is the key to our victory. Come now, we must leave. May Chaos break the rules that bind."

Kabal and Kira nodded. Using magic, Havik opened up a portal to Outworld and immediately went in. Without further hesitation, Kabal and Kira followed him…

~~~

**Italy**

In a small city area, a woman stood on the balcony leading to her apartment. Anyone who would have spotted her would immediately notice the large, old-fashioned pink and white laced dress she was wearing. She also wore various gold jewelry, her wild purple hair swaying in the wind. Her violet eyes gazed out into the night sky.

The woman was named Rose, a psychic with the power of Soul. She leaned her small framed body to the railing of her balcony, gazing up at the stars.

 _Each one of us have our own destiny,_ she thought to herself. _Each star in the sky represents a single person living in this universe. Even if we don't know, we all have one thing in common…we all live in the same universe, together. When one passes on, the star dies as well…_

Rose then saw one star disappear out of sight. _Another soul had just passed on._

The temperature had dropped then and Rose decided to retire for the night. As she did, she thought about the recent events of the fall of Shadaloo and Bison's apparent death. Even as a psychic, she could not foresee who was responsible for the madman's demise, but she had the feeling that another evil being had done the deed.

 _Who could have done that?_ she thought.

In another vision from years ago, there was a possibility that Rose was somehow related to Bison, perhaps a half brother, but it was a mystery even she herself may never solve.

Rose shook the thoughts out of her head then and got herself into a white laced nightgown in her sleeping quarters. She undid the purple velvet sheets of her queen-sized bed and tucked herself in. She shut the light off on her lamp and settled herself in, letting sleep take over her…

Hours later, even as Rose shot up from her bed in cold sweat, she was still dreaming, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. In her mind, everything in the entire universe was destroyed, corpses were lying everywhere, the entire lands and skies were discolored into a dark red, fire burned in every direction. Those still living screamed in terror believing that their own deaths were approaching.

Rose let out a gasp as her eyes rolled back to their normal place. She took the time to catch her breath and wiped the sweat off her face. The 'dream' still playing in the distant part of her mind, she immediately went into another room to the side covered in velvet curtains. A single chair and a crystal ball on a small table waited.

The female psychic sat down, the ball immediately glowing. Rose placed her delicate hands over the ball, not touching it, and whispered incantations. After what seemed like a long time, the vision of her 'dream' came back to her.

"The entire universe will be doomed," she thought. "But by what?"

A tarot card appeared in her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at it. It was of an eye. "An artifact?"

It immediately came to her then. The eye…the sign of the artifact… a particular one came to her. "The Bloody Eye medallion… can it be? It's been found?" She looked into the crystal ball. "Show me the medallion of all power!"

It took a while, but soon the ball showed her a light picture of the medallion, it's tear glowing in it's real color. Rose closed her eyes, trying to pinpoint the location, but instead, a man in a skull mask appeared before her. Rose quickly opened her eyes, her own heart jumping to her throat.

_Shao Kahn! Perhaps he has the artifact._

She closed her eyes and continued to try to get more information, but to no avail. Luckily, however, she did have some knowledge of the evil Emperor, knowing that he ruled the realm of Outworld. Even so, however, there could be a possibility that he may be somewhere else… or maybe he will have the artifact in the future, she wasn't sure.

It was then that a gust of wind was heard. Rose opened her eyes again and was surprised to see an envelope with her name on it. She slowly took it into her hands and yet another flash appeared in her mind, this time, the land of Outworld.

Upon that, she immediately opened the envelope. _Just what I nearly expected,_ she thought. It was an invitation to The Blood Tournament in an unknown location, but Rose already got the idea that the tournament would take place in Outworld.

_Perhaps I will find more answers there. If anything, I must secure the realms… with help from others._

The closest location from where she was located now was San Francisco, and she decided to seek out those taking the ship from there. As she got herself dressed, Rose came to the conclusion that she was unsure of whether or not the fate of the realms will end in either salvation or doom despite the horrifying vision. As the sun rose up into the sky, Rose headed out, confident that she will find more information…

~~~

**The Heavens**

The God of Thunder Raiden saw it all happen before his eyes. Quan Chi finding the amulet and giving it to Shao Kahn… the planning of The Blood Tournament… fighters from all over the universe receiving invitations to the tournament.

 _The Bloody Eye is a dangerous artifact,_ Raiden thought. _It must be taken away from the hands of evil before doomsday approaches._

The thunder God's platinum hair swayed in the wind under his brown cone hat, his transparent eyes glowing. With The Bloody Eye in the hands of the most powerful Emperor, the entire universe was in danger.

Many times has Raiden helped those on Earthrealm defend themselves from being taken over by Outworld and succeeded. If he could inform the other Elder Gods of the situation, perhaps they will help once again.

After some time, Raiden walked away from what he called a 'mirror,' part of a magic he used to see the events happening in the universe. He went inside of a temple-like structure, where four of the Elder Gods waited.

The four Gods sat in large thrones, all Gods for the four main elements… The God of Wind Fujin, the God of Water Mizu, The God of Fire Hinote, and the God of Earth Daichi.

"Lord Raiden," spoke Daichi. "What has brought you to us?"

Raiden bowed to the four of them. "I came to inform you of an urgent situation. It seems that Quan-Chi has managed to get his hands on Chishio No Me."

The four Elder Gods' faces expressed their horror. They had hoped that no one, let alone someone of evil, would ever find the artifact. It had been years since it was last used by a General from the realm of Keisei who was nearly met with an unfortunate fate.

"Raiden," said Mizu, her blue eyes glowing. "I know what you are planning. You want to defend Earth and get help from warriors of that realm."

"Yess Mizu," Raiden replied. "That is what I wish to do."

"We cannot allow you to interfere," said Hinote.

Raiden looked up at them in shock. "What do you mean?"

Daichi sighed to himself and looked at Raiden seriously. "We let it go the last few times you have done this, but this time we cannot interfere. Yes, it is our job to protect the universe, but it's not our job to interfere in matters like these, only if we feel that there is real danger to the nature of life."

Anger appeared on the Thunder God's face and he clenched his fists. "This is absurd! Many of the warriors entering this tournament have no idea what may be truly going on! This is real peril and I cannot allow to stand idly by! If Chishio No Me is not secured from the hands of evil, then the entire universe will be doomed."

Raiden looked at the four of them hoping that they would change their minds. With the except of Fujin, the Gods kept the same expression. Raiden knew that no matter what he said, they won't change their minds.

"Even if it means relinquishing my status, then so be it!" With that Raiden turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. The three Gods were horrified by Raiden's decision while Fujin watched in pity as his friend left.

Later, Raiden was getting ready to head down to Earth. It was only a couple of days before the ships from the realms would head to Outworld. Raiden stared at his prized possession, his staff, a weapon he used every time he went down to help defend Earth. But this time, however, Raiden wasn't just defending Earth. This time, he would be defending all of mankind.

Raiden didn't even notice when Fujin entered the room, at least until he spoke. "I wish you luck my friend."

The wielder of Thunder turned around facing the God of Wind. A smile appeared on Raiden's face. "Thank you my friend. I knew that you would have understood."

"I wish I could go," Fujin replied. "But my duty for now is to stay here. If the other Elder Gods believe that the realms will be in true danger, I will be there."

Raiden nodded and placed his staff in his scabbard behind his back. "The realms must stay secure. If no one can do it, who will?"

Fujin nodded in agreement. "I have a few suggestions to make, ones that I discovered after the brief meeting."

Raiden looked at him waiting for the information.

"While all the other realms have one ship leaving a dock, Earth has two due to it's large population. Go to the one in Hong Kong. Another with the same enthusiasm as you will be heading to the one in San Francisco. I recommending joining with her and those helping her and devise a plan to defend the universe. Her name is Rose, a psychic with soul power. Seek her out and you have more of a chance against your adversaries."

Raiden nodded. "Once again my friend, thank you. I will take your advice and meet this Rose in Outworld. With this, I believe she will be a worthy ally. Farewell."

With that, Raiden opened up a portal to Earth. Fujin watched until he disappeared. Then, he began heading back to the temple, a bothering thought lingering in his mind…

_It's possible… this may be the end of mankind…_


	7. Chapter Six

**Near Mt. Fuji, Japan**

In the outskirts, the moon shined brightly along with the billions of stars around it. A lone corporate warehouse stood in the middle of nowhere. Within the walls, one would be amazed to find that there was a hotel-like pool area. A large pool covered most of the ground, which was made out of gray bricks. Countless lawn chairs surrounded the edges with little tables in between each one. Fake palm trees were placed in various area and nearby were a few Jacuzzis ready to be used.

On one of the lawn chairs, an older man laid there, enjoying the peace and quiet that surrounded the area. He wore a single black speedo and was well built for a man his age. His hair was a light gray, nearly white, which was styled in an odd way. He was bald on top, and what was left of his hair was gelled sideways giving it almost a devil look.

The older man was in deep thought, almost forgetting where he was. _My son is dead, he thought blankly. But Kazuya was always worthless._

This man was known as Heihachi Mishima, the current leader of the financial group, The Mishima Zaibatsu. He was a type of man who thirsted for power, and most people who knew his reputation were afraid of him. Very few have stood up against him, but they were all met by the same fate. That included his only son Kazuya Mishima, whom he had killed a while back during a tournament they both attended. Kazuya was out to take over the organization for himself. Heihachi had merely defended the Zaibatsu by killing his own son... one less nuisance in the world.

Most parents would grieve in the aftermath… but for many years, it was known that Heihachi had no heart for anyone but himself, unless you were a pet bear named Kuma.

Heihachi's mind then drifted to his own grandson… Jin Kazama. Like Kazuya, Jin possessed what was known as 'the devil gene' a power to be reckoned with. Heihachi saw it in the last tournament they attended. _If I got my hands on him,_ the older man thought. _The power he possesses will be good use to the Mishima Zaibatsu._ The world will fear us.

He only had one problem… he had no idea where Jin was at the moment. Jin disappeared right after the tournament. Heihachi had sent his personal intelligence to search for him, even if they died doing it. For now, all the leader could do was wait for word on the location of his grandson.

Just as he finished that thought, Heihachi heard footsteps coming towards him. He didn't bother to turn around when he said, "What is it?"

The figured stopped in his tracks. Heihachi could sense a little fear in him, but the man regained his composure. "My lord, intelligence has located Jin Kazama."

If it was physically possible, Heihachi's ears would be perking upwards excitedly. Of course, he kept his seriousness within his face to show his minions that he meant business. Heihachi finally turned his head to face one of his guards who was dressed in a brown security uniform. "Go on, " the leader encouraged him.

The guard quietly sighed of relief. "Intelligence discovered that Jin is heading to Hong Kong. We didn't know why he was interested in the city until we looked into it."

Heihachi stood up then. He grabbed a dark cherry silk robe and wrapped it around himself. "Do not stop speaking unless that's all the information you are going to give me… but you know what will happen if that was the case."

The guard swallowed. "Of course my lord, my apologies. In Hong Kong, they are setting up ships for this coming Saturday. The ships will be heading to another realm in which we later discovered that it was Outworld. There, The Blood Tournament will be taking place there. All the best fighters in the universe will be there."

With that statement, a sadistic grin appeared on Heihachi's face. "A tournament with the best fighters in the world. If my grandson is participating in this tournament, then it is true of what they said. Is that all?"

"Yes my lord."

Heihachi placed his feet into his black slippers. "Good. Set up the Mishima Portal for me. I'm highly interested in what this tournament holds. If it's in another world, then the prize is more than just money. You are dismissed."

The guard bowed to him before leaving. Heihachi then picked up a glass of strawberry margarita in which he only half finished and took a sip from it. "The Blood Tournament," he thought out loud. "Taking place in Outworld where the best fighters in the realm will participate…this will indeed be quite interesting. And there, I will possess the power Jin holds."

It was then at that moment that the same guard came back into the pool area. A bit of rage filled the older man. "What is it?" he demanded.

The guard looked at him nervously now. "Um, my lord, I came to tell you that your latest issue of _Mishima Magazine: Bikini Edition_ just came in."

"Good," Heihachi replied with a laugh. "Very good."

~~~

**Himalayan Mountains, China**

"All right everyone, that's enough for today," said a middle-aged man as he bowed to a small group of people. "We will be going over more of this lesson in the morning."

The small group grumbled a bit as they dispersed into their own separate ways. The leader sat down on a small bench and wiped a small sweat off his face.

"You're never usually get that warm, Sifu Sub-Zero," said a voice coming from a young female.

Sub-Zero looked up and saw the small-framed, blue haired figure standing before him. "It's actually cold sweat, Frost," he replied.

Frost rolled her eyes a bit. "Yeah right, whatever you say."

Sub-Zero shook his head a bit. Not that long ago, he managed to earn the title of Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. A year ago, they were a group of assassins and were considered a threat to society, especially after their attempt at the cyborg initiative, turning their clan members into emotionless cyborgs. Now, Sub-Zero hoped to turn the clan for the better, isolated themselves in a colder region of China in a old temple. He recruited new students who believed in his cause, including the only female in the clan, Frost.

Sub-Zero smirked at his young student a little. "Sometimes, I think you turned my hair gray overnight."

Frost cocked up an eyebrow. "Uh huh."

The Grandmaster stood up then, and scratched the right side of his face, which contained a very large purplish scar that went down from his forehead to his chin, running right through one half of his ice blue eyes. He was a tall man with a well-built body for someone who was aging quite quicker than normal speed.

"Come on," Sub-Zero said. "You still need to learn to make weapons with your kori powers."

The young woman sighed a bit. "Didn't you just try to teach me that?"

"Yes," Sub-Zero replied. "But you still lack control." He then thought to himself, _If only I could teach this girl humility._

It was then that another member of the Lin Kuei came up to the Grandmaster with a piece of paper in his hand. "Sifu, a message has come for you… it's from the Tekunin leader himself…"

Sektor, Sub-Zero thought. He immediately grabbed the paper, opened it up, and read the letter quickly;

_Sub-Zero-_

_Enclosed is an invitation to the Blood Tournament which will be taking place in Outworld. There, I will be challenging you there for the future of the Lin Kuei Clan. Go there alone._

_-Sektor._

A grim look appeared on the Grandmaster's face. When he fought for the right to be the leader of the clan, Sektor tried to fight for the same title. In the aftermath, Sektor ran off and no one had heard about him since other than the fact that he formed the Tekunin clan… at least until now.

Sub-Zero then proceeded to look at the invitation to the tournament that came with it. He had just finished reading when Frost spoke. "Sifu, what's going on?"

The older man shook his head. "It's Sektor. He invited me to a tournament in Outworld so that he can challenge me for the right to be Grandmaster."

"But I thought that was over with."

"I thought so as well… but with his own growing clan, who knows what he will do. Something also tells me that this may all be a trick since this is him sending me all of this."

The messenger looked at Sub-Zero. "What will you be doing from this point?" he asked.

Sub-Zero slightly shook his head again. "I'm going to have to take a chance. Sektor poses a threat to our clan we worked hard to turn for the better. Be on guard for anything while I am away."

The two nodded.

From there, the Grandmaster proceeded with his plans. He appointed a long time member of the clan to take over until his return. He then pack his gear and then began his journey to Hong Kong. Frost was the only one who bid him farewell. Unknown to him, as soon as he turned his back, a sadistic look appeared in her eyes…

~~~

**San Francisco, California, USA**

"I'M THE BEST IN THE UNIVERSE!" yelled out a gruff voice that was much louder than the music being played, which was currently on max volume.

Both the voice and the music came from a small broken down martial arts school, which stood out amongst many of the more beautiful buildings in San Francisco. People nearby cringed at the male voice and the hardcore metal music that was being played extremely loud.

Inside the small building, a blond-haired man dressed in a worn out red karate gi kicked and punched at a large gray punching bag in the middle of the one-room building. The large amount of dust on the ground was picked up by his movements and flew around the room aimlessly.

This man was Paul Phoenix, a Judo practitioner with an ego as big as his strive to be 'the number one fighter in the universe.' He had just returned from a tournament in Japan after being beaten… by a bear. Since his return, Paul, who was currently not employed, spent his waking hours training for the next tournament…

The Blood Tournament.

Paul heard about this from a conversation that took place in a local Chinese restaurant. The best fighters received invitations to the tournament and will be departing in a couple of days on ships that will be leaving from the docks right here in San Francisco. Paul was enraged that he didn't get an invitation and felt insulted because of it.

"I'll show them!" Paul screamed out. "I'm not only going to be the best in the world…I'm going to be the best in the universe!"

"Shut up!" cried a pedestrian who was passing the building.

Paul stopped what he was doing and turned towards the single, brown-stained window. Sweat from his workout covered his body. "How about you shut up loser!" He quickly took a rock and threw it out the window, only piercing a hole in it. The pedestrian saw this just in time and ran away in fear.

The older man grunted a bit after, then gave a hard kick to the punching bag sending it off it's hinge and flying across the room. It hit the ground causing it to rip. From there, the sand immediately poured out of the large pouch.

That finally managed to calm Paul down. He took a moment to catch his breath before turning off the music and sitting down on the wooden bench. He reached into his backpack, took out a bottled water, opened it, and chugged half of it down.

Paul leaned back and brushed up his blonde hair, which was gelled up in a standing position about a foot high from his head. He then brought his hand to his chin, which was covered with an ingrown beard along with the rest of his face.

"The Blood Tournament," Paul said much quieter than a few minutes ago. "If the best are going to be there… then I'm sure to win. I'll show the leaders that they nearly missed out on a great fighter like me."

Suddenly, after that statement, the bench broke off from the wall and fell sideways sending Paul sliding down the bench and onto the floor. He let out an 'oof!' as more dust was disturbed and began flying into the air.

Paul coughed. "I should really get this place fixed up…"

~~~

**Edenia**

"This was a fabulous brunch your highness," said a young dark-skinned woman dressed in green garments as she took a bite from her food.

An older woman dressed in purple smiled at her. "Thank you Jade. It's rare when I cook, but since my daughter Kitana mentioned that she will be making an announcement, I just couldn't resist."

"You're a very good cook my Queen."

"Please, I've told you for years, call me Sindel. Royalty doesn't matter when one has been an ally of us for such a long time."

"My apologies, it's an old habit," Jade said as she pushed back her black hair, which was done in two braided pigtails. "What do you suppose the Princess will be announcing?"

Sindel also pushed back her hair, which was all white aside from the large black streak which went down through the middle of her hair. "I'm not quite sure, but I look forward to knowing. A part of me wants to believe that she finally found a soul mate, but who knows."

Jade shook her head. "Me either. After receiving the news about Liu Kang's death from Lord Raiden, she hasn't been the same."

"It's sad indeed," the Queen sighed.

The two fell silent then with thoughts of their own. Liu Kang was an Earthrealm fighter who met Kitana at a tournament in Outworld years ago. Edenia then was merged with Outworld for ten thousand years and, along with other allies, they managed to finally free it. Not long ago, Liu Kang was mysteriously murdered at his home, causing grief for Kitana. Sindel knew how she felt for that she had lost her husband, King Jerrod, just after Kitana's birth. That was a story to be saved for later for that Sindel could not bear to think about it even after all these years.

The thoughts of the two women were interrupted when a servant came in. "Your highness… Princess Kitana."

Sindel nodded and the servant immediately left. A woman the same age as Jade entered with an envelope in her hand. Her long brown hair was done in a low ponytail and she wore a blue and black swimsuit-like garments and matching knee-high boots, a common fashion amongst the women of Edenia.

"Mother, Jade," Kitana began. "This morning, I received an invitation to a tournament in another realm."

Sindel stared at her. "You mean to tell me that your announcement was another tournament?"

"Well," Kitana continued. "Take a look." She handed her mother the invitation.

Sindel immediately opened it and read the contents before looking up. "This does sound strange indeed."

"I had the feeling that it would take place in Outworld. There may be a possibility that Shao Kahn is planning something."

"Maybe," Sindel replied. "Whether or not that is true, we have to take a chance if it means defending our world." She looked at Jade. "Would you mind accompanying my daughter to the tournament?"

"Of course," Jade replied.

"I will come along as well," Sindel announced.

The two younger woman looked at her with a bit of shock. "Mother, are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I'll leave our leading knight in charge of things until our return."

The younger woman slowly nodded.

Sindel looked at her daughter. "Pancakes?"

"Of course mother."

The three continued with brunch…

~~~

**The Netherrealm**

It was a place of pain and suffering… it was a place where tainted souls spent eternity of torture and despair. Many in other realms knew this place as Hell. Those living in this realm know it as The Netherrealm.

Some souls who pass on into this particular world embrace it. Many fell to their knees. But there were some who originally fell to their knees who forced themselves to rise against the agony. Only very few have made it through.

In an empty region, three figures were seen with two of them facing each other and one down on his knees surrounded by blue electricity. The figure on his knees was a dark gray cyborg by the name of Smoke. He felt himself weakening with each passing moment and could no longer keep himself upright. As evil as he was now, there was still some good left inside of him despite his programing. He was once a member of the Lin Kuei clan… but he now served a well-known wraith of the region…

That figure was Noob Saibot. Noob was an all-black demon, even his skin was a dark charcoal color. The only real color on him was the glowing white covering every part of his eyes. He was one of the few who embraced the nature of the Netherrealm.

In front of him was a young female demon in human form clad in all white with some gold trims. She wore a mushroom-like hat with a gold strap on her chin, the hat itself containing various designs and kanji writing on the front. In her right hand was a Kriss sword.

"Ashrah," Noob said, looking at the woman before him. "You are a disgrace to the Brotherhood of Shadows and must be eliminated."

Ashrah narrowed her eyes at him. "No…it is you who must be eliminated! I will no longer be bound to this region of suffering! I will be free from this place!"

Noob let out a sadistic laugh as he pulled out his own sword. "The kriss sword you possess… it has been purifying your tainted soul… I see now. You believe that if you eliminate me that you will be free from this place. If that is what you want, so be it, but I must warn you that you will not win."

The female demon only narrowed her hazel eyes a bit and got into a fighting stance. Her sword glowed a bit in a white aura reflecting it's ability of purification. Ashrah had slain many strong demons to purify her soul. She longed to be free from this place in order to receive a second chance. Her past life meant nothing to her anymore, even though she only vaguely remembered it. Noob himself was one of the strongest wraiths there was and if she could defeat him in battle, she had a bigger chance of leaving this place.

Noob looked down at his only minion Smoke, who was beginning to malfunction. _Damn!_ he thought. _He had to do that now. I guess I'm on my own with taking down this vile woman._ After that thought, Noob got into a fighting stance as well.

The two of them stared down at each other for a moment. Noob's patience quickly wore out and he immediately attacked Ashrah. However, Ashrah was prepared for Noob's onslaught. She brought her sword upwards and managed to block the incoming blow from Noob's own sword.

The battle lasted for sometime, their swords colliding loudly with one another. Despite the fact that he was currently malfunctioning, Smoke looked on at the battle. He looked on towards his master and felt the malfunctioning processing beginning to decrease a bit. He thought of nothing as this was going on.

The two seemed to be even as their swords continued to collide with one another. The amount of heat in the region didn't finch either of them.

Then, Noob lost his grip on his sword when Ashrah managed to kick it away. This caused a quick hesitation in the wraith. Ashrah took that opportunity and managed to stab Noob right through the stomach. Noob was caught by surprise by the way his eyes widened in that moment.

Then, just as fast, a yellow light beamed down on Ashrah and she was immediately taken into the air with a quick shriek. Because of how fast that happened, Ashrah lost her grip on her sword which glowed brighter than before. Ashrah came to realize that she had achieved her goal. Wherever she was heading, she didn't care as long as it wasn't in the Netherrealm. Noob and Smoke watched as Ashrah disappeared into the swirling black hole above them. The second she entered it, it closed. Afterwards, all became silent.

Noob reached his hand and wrapped it around the hilt of the kriss. "You may have earned your freedom by wounding me, but you have made one grave mistake." He took out the sword from his stomach, black blood oozing from it. Then, bug-like organisms quickly covered the hole in Noob's stomach healing him right away. "I am a wraith."

Elsewhere, Ashrah arrived in another realm. When the winds died down, she took a moment to look around. The entire land was purple, which matched the sky. Where am I? she thought as she stood up. The area was quiet, much to her relief for that she wanted to take the time to explore this new world.

 _Perhaps this is where I will start my new life._ Then, she began to walk forward.

Little did Ashrah realize was that she had just arrived in Outworld, where a tournament will soon be taking place…


	8. Chapter Seven

_The realm of Keisei…it is a world in the distant galaxy, a place with many similarities of Earth. However, both worlds have historical differences and landmarks…_

**Komakai Village, Ming Dynasty**

The morning sun rose into the sky bringing light to the day ahead. In a small village, more and more people went about their daily business while enjoying the cloudless weather.

By the docks, a ship had just landed and was now letting off their passengers. Amongst the passengers were a trio, two men and a woman, all quite young. The woman stood only five feet and wore a blue sleeveless garment with various designs on them along with purplish-blue carpi pants and slippers. Behind her was a thin sword inside it's scabbard. Her short, dark brown hair was held by a gold and pink headband and her matching colored eyes shined in the sunlight.

The younger of the two men, about eight inches taller than the woman, looked around the village with an emotionless look, his wildly-cut brown hair swaying in the wind and nearly covering the check-shaped scar on his left cheek. He wore a black and blue strap around his bare medium-built torso with a single brown shoulder pad holding it up. On his arms and wrist were gold bands with the wrists also containing black on them. He also had a gold belt and a blue scarf with red pants, and white and blue boots. Around his neck was a roped necklace containing a small, green gem that glittered in the sunlight. In his hand was a six foot staff he was currently using as a walking stick.

The last man, the tallest and the oldest of the three, showed off a nearly unnoticable cocky smirk. He had short black hair which had a few strands hanging over the front of his face. His attire contained of a sleeveless white jacket with various colored designs. The jacket was unzipped, showing off his well-built torso. He also wore matching pants with a purple and orange scarf around his waist, and black and white boots. Also on his waist were a pair of nunchakus.

The trio continued walking into the village. The young woman stretched her arms out. "We're finally home," she said. "How long were we traveling?"

"Quite a while Xianghua," the older man replied. He turned his head over to the younger man. "You've been pretty quiet since we got here, Kilik."

"Huh," Kilik muttered hearing his friend's voice. He mentally shook his head and turned to him. "Um, yeah Maxi, I have been, haven't I?"

"Is something wrong?" Xianghua asked with a bit of curiosity.

"Everything's fine," Kilik assured her with a smirk. Then, just as quickly, the smirk disappeared returning to the previous look on his face. "However, I have the feeling that we won't be home very long."

Maxi let out a loud laugh and lightly slapped his friend on the back. "Don't be ridiculous, we're going to be here for quite some time. What makes you think our plans will change?"

At the moment, the three heard a scream coming from an elder female not too far from them. They looked up just in time to see a robed man with a cloth around his face running off with a small brown bag. Just a few feet away, a frightened elder lady fell on her knees. "Help me! He just stole my money!"

Both Maxi and Kilik quickly looked at each other as though they were saying, 'Let's go.' They took out their weapons and began sprinting forward.

Xianghua was about to follow them as well, but she didn't take a single step when Maxi cried out, "Xianghua, stay with the lady!" She quickly looked up at them as they ran off.

At first, Xianghua didn't register what they asked as she looked on, her two allies running after the criminal. She felt her heart pound a bit, which caused her to snap out of it. Xianghua mentally shook her head, now realizing what they just asked her to do.

 _I have to focus!_ she yelled at herself. She went over to the old lady to see if she was all right. "Don't worry," she said. "My friends will take care of everything. I'll stay with you until they get back."

"Th, thank you young lady," the elderly woman said.

Once again, Xianghua thought about her two male friends, feeling her heart pounding again. It's so hard to choose between those two…

Meanwhile, Maxi and Kilik continued pursuit the crook. "Get back here!" Kilik cried out. At that moment, the crook took a turn into the alley area. The boys followed them there, but stopped when they saw the ally split into two, the crook no longer in sight.

"Damn!" Maxi cried out. "I'll go right, you go left."

"Right," Kilik nodded and the two began sprinting again into their assigned alley-ways.

For about five minutes, Kilik ran through the alley, keeping his dark eyes sharp and focused. Afterwards, he began to slow his pace and soon nearly ran into a tall wooden wall. At this point, he realized that either the crook escaped or went the way Maxi went.

 _Hopefully Maxi managed to catch him,_ the younger man thought. He decided to go back to the main street where he and Maxi began their pursuit. He turned around and suddenly became frozen, his eyes widened a bit. In front of him, a figure in a dark purple robe stood before him with only it's hands showing.

"Who are you?" Kilik demanded. He lifted his staff and got himself ready for a fight. Then, he noticed in one of the figure's hands, it held a clean, white envelope.

Kilik blinked a couple of times before loosening his stance a bit. "You have a message for me, don't you?" he asked.

The figure replied by gliding itself towards the young man. Kilik was a bit weary by the approach, but he kept his composure and was prepared for anything that could happen. Once the figure was close enough, it extended it's hand, holding the envelope, forward. Kilik slowly took the paper into his own hand, then back away a couple of feet, making sure to keep his eyes on the person in front of him.

It stood there for another moment before gliding quickly backwards, then disappearing around the corner…

"That was strange," Kilik muttered. He looked at the envelope, which had his name on it. He cocked one eyebrow as he opened the letter, then quickly read the contents.

"A tournament," he muttered again. He has been to many tournaments before, but never any that were, well, outside his world. It was going to be interesting indeed.

Then, Kilik remembered what he was originally doing and quickly shook his head. _I have to get back to town before they wonder where I am._ Kilik began sprinting.

When he returned, Maxi and Xianghua were waiting for him. "There you are my friend," Maxi said with a smirk.

"Did you find him?" Kilik asked.

"I didn't get him, but he did leave a little present behind. Basically, we got the money back for the lady."

"That's good to know."

"Hey," Xianghua exclaimed. "What's that in your hand?"

"Huh… oh yeah." Kilik handed the envelope to Xianghua. "You would't believe me if I told you the whole story, but just looking at that may sum it up."

Xianghua read the contents with Maxi looking over her shoulder. They both finished at the same time and looked up at Kilik. "How come I wasn't invited?" Maxi asked.

Kilik shrugged. "Well… maybe they will let us invite others. It does sound like a very big tournament. The ship from here will be leaving in a few days in the city of Chili-san. Are you two willing to come with me?"

"You bet I will!" cried Xianghua.

Maxi smirked. "I'll enjoying kicking your ass there, that's for sure." The two men lightly laughed. "I guess you were right about us not staying here for too long."

"Well, let's enjoy it while we can," Xianghua suggested. The men nodded and the trio began heading deeper into town.

~~~

**Valentine Mansion, Outskirts of Britannian Empire**

The sounds of slashing, clicking, and a few yells were the only sounds disturbing the quiet around the fairly large mansion. Near the front of the mansion was a large balcony looking over the main entrance room. All the walls and floors were of the colors rose and gold with the wood-colored floor being made out of marble covered with a large, circled red carpet. The balcony consist of a large chandelier hanging on the ceiling, two stoned busts of different men, a few lit candles on the wall, and three very large oil-painted pictures with another small, rounder one.

The oil paintings consisted of the main family of the mansion, the Valentine family. One painting consisted of the late Earl Valentine and his lady. In the same painting was a young girl in a red dress, her short white hair down. Across the room were three more paintings, one of two more of Count Valentine, the small circular one being of him at a younger age and the large one being an older him. To the left of it was the young girl, now older and wearing a large, silver dress.

In the middle of the room, a lone female figure held a large sword in her hand. Though it was barely seen in the dark, a determined look appeared on her face. Her short, off-white hair swayed with her movements as she practiced the discipline she learned throughout her years.

She stopped and looked up at the young girl in the family portrait for a moment. It was herself… Ivy Valentine. She continued her practices with her sword then, ignoring the rest of her surroundings.

It was only a few years ago that Ivy became the only person in this mansion with the except of a few servants. Her father, who had adopted her at a young age, thirsted for power and was in search of a artifact known he believed to be the key to eternal youth. His pursuit not only drove him mad, but it nearly put the family in financial ruins. His pursuit would eventually drive him to his demise. His death broke her mother's heart and she died not long after.

Ivy would discover his pursuit of the 'key to eternal youth,' which turned out to be an artifact called Soul Edge. In her father's honor, not only did she attempt to find the artifact, but she also taught herself alchemy. With the assistance of an azure knight called Nightmare, he breathed life into the sword she now held in her hands.

During the investigation, Ivy would uncover more than she bargained for; not only was the sword evil that feasted upon souls, but her true father had possessed Soul Edge just before her own birth, thus the evil essence was a part of her. She better understood why the earl was driven mad all those years ago. Nightmare also manipulated her into thinking that she was fighting for a good cause... instead, he used her so that he continue to provide souls for the sword.

That was four years ago. Since then, Ivy sought for Soul Edge to destroy it in order to avenge her father's death. Her main goal was one that was difficult… to find the main source. Recently, she heard of another artifact known as _Chishio No Me_ , or the Bloody Eye. It was known to be one of the most powerful artifact in the universe, one that granted limitless powers. Ivy knew that if she herself could get her hands on it, she would be able to find Soul Edge much quicker and finally fulfill her purpose.

Ivy continued her training, slashing her sword in the air, her heels clicking against the marbled floor with each step, and letting out a few yells once in a while. Then, she whipped her sword in the air, the blade breaking into eight pieces with a thick string running through them. She slashed them more in the air quickly, then finished it with herself twirling around, the blade surrounding her in a spinning motion. When she stopped she made a jolt with her hand, and the sword was put back together into one solid piece.

She stood there for a moment when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Ivy turned herself around to face the person. It was one of her servants dressed in a black and white formal attire.

"Sorry to disturb you madam, but I have come here with some news."

Ivy placed her sword in it's scabbard connected to a belt on her waist, keeping her blue eyes on the servant. "Go on."

The servant walked over to her, an envelope in his right hand. "A letter came for you today. I believe it may be of interest for you."

Ivy stared at the envelope for a moment before taking it from the servant. "Thank you. You are dismissed."

The servant bowed to her before departing, leaving her alone at the balcony. Ivy immediately opened the envelope then and read the contents that were in it;

_Ms. Valentine-_

_We know of your pursuit for the artifact Soul Edge and wish to offer assistance. There will be a tournament that will be held in the realm of Outworld with ships leaving from the port close to the academic city close to your home. It is rumored that not only will the tournament be run by the realm's Emperor Shao Kahn, but that he now has possession of the_ Chishio No Me relic, _which is known to be powerful enough to grant its wielder anything they want._

_This artifact may help in your journey to destroy the evil sword._

It wasn't signed by anyone and it left her suspicious... however, thinking it over, the anonymous letter gave her the first real chance to finally destroy Soul Edge for the first time in a while... and it was chance that she was willing to take.

She didn't say anything and thought of nothing as she reached into one of the pouches on her. She took out a small chip of a red rock out and stared at it as it slightly glowed in the palm of her hand.

"Soul Edge," she whispered. It was one piece of it indeed, and many more like them were spread out all throughout the realms. She made a decision then... she would journey to Outworld and join the side of Emperor Shao Kahn. It would be her way of getting closer to the _Chishio No Me_ artifact.

Her quest in destroying the essence of Soul Edge may finally see to its end soon.

"Could this be… my destiny?"

~~~

**Mikros Village, Ottoman Empire**

In the second warmest season of the year, most of Mikros Village was still covered in light snow, the ground barely seen. Despite the cold climate, villagers continued with their routines.

Wearing a dark navy cloak, a young girl made her way to a small cottage. A gust of wind came by and pushed back the hood, revealing shoulder length golden blonde hair held back a bit by a white headband. She lightly gasped in surprised, her green eyes widened briefly as she brought her fair-skinned hands towards the hood and brought it back over her head to keep it warm.

She reached the stone steps of the cottage and knocked on the wooden door a couple of times. She only had to wait briefly before the door was opened. A tall young man stood at the door wearing a white shirt and black pants held up by suspenders.

The man smiled at the girl. "You made it Cassandra. Sophitia has been looking forward to seeing you." He stepped aside to give her room to come in.

"Good afternoon Rothion," Cassandra greeted as she entered the living. There, two young children, a boy and a girl, played with their toys. They looked up to see who had just entered the room. Immediately, bright smiles appeared on their faces as they stood up and ran towards Cassandra to hug her.

"Hi Aunt Cassie!" they cried out.

Cassandra smiled as she hugged her niece Pyrrha and nephew Patroklos. "It's good to see you two again." After the children laughed and resumed back to they playtime.

"She's resting in the bedroom," Rothion said. "She is still quite weary from her travels."

"I can only imagine," Cassandra said as she headed towards the room. "After all, my older sister did come back from a big fight from what she wrote in her letter."

Rothion nodded. "If it wasn't for that mysterious woman, however, she would be…" he could get himself to finish the sentence.

Cassandra nodded not wanting to finish as well. "But at least she's all right now. I must ask though… she had only requested to see me, why is this?"

Rothion only replied with a small shake of the head. Cassandra said no more and headed into the bedroom. The door to the room was closed and Cassandra knocked on it. A soft 'come in' was heard and Cassandra entered.

Laying in a bed was a young woman just only a few years older than Cassandra. They had the same fair skin and blond hair, though Sophitia's eyes were blue and she had a smaller frame than her little sister, which was covered by a heavy gray blanket.

Sophitia smiled as Cassandra approached the bed. "Sister, I'm glad you are here."

"So am I," Cassandra replied. "You indeed look tired."

Sophitia nodded. "I'll be okay. It'll take some time before I go out into the world again. For now, I need rest."

The younger sister sat on the bed. "Is there anything I can do?"

Sophitia smirked then. "Well, there is a reason I asked you here." She reached over at the wooden box next to the bed and took a envelope into her hand.

Cassandra looked at it with curiosity, seeing Sophitia's name neatly scripted on it. "What is this?"

"Originally, I was invited to a tournament in another realm. It doesn't say which realm it is though. As much as I want to go, I can't. Besides, I'm sure I wouldn't hear the end of it from Roth." Sophitia let out a light laugh before looking at her sister with a bit of seriousness. "Watching you grow up and learning the ways of the Athenian style, I know that you have become a great warrior as I have. I believe that one way of learning more of everything is to travel. That is why I am giving this to you my dear sister." With that, Sophitia handed the invitation over to Cassandra.

Cassandra was shocked by this. She never really considered herself what her sister just described and felt honored by it. She opened the letter and read the information given. "Are you sure about this?" she asked looking up.

Sophitia nodded. "Within my heart, I know you can do this. I know the whole thing may sound frightening, but do not lose your confidence. Trust yourself within your heart and soul and remember that the Gods will always be with you."

Cassandra smiled then. "Thank you sister."

"One other thing," the older sister continued. "I offer you my sword and shield for good luck."

The younger sister gasped and looked over at the short sword and small shield which laid against the wall recently fixed up by Rothion. "Sophitia," was all she could say.

"You will do great and I wish you the best of luck in your journey," Sophitia concluded.

Cassandra looked down at the invitation. Sure, the tournament sounded a little strange, but what wasn't strange now a days? Even before Sophitia spoke, Cassandra desired to go for the competition, but she was reminded of her biggest value; family. Now, her other reason of going was in honor of her sister, who journeyed all of Keisei and fought many odds throughout the way.

"Thank you," the young girl said. "I won't fail."

~~~

**Unknown Region of Keisei**

While riding on horseback, Yoshimitsu looked down at his right hand. He remembered it like it was only yesterday… back when he had his own hand. He imagined it gripping on the Bloody Eye medallion as he fought many armies in order to obtain peace. After all, it was his clan, the Manji clan's, purpose for as long as it existed. His hand has since been replaced with a prosthetic after being forced to chop it off in order to free himself from the medallion's hold on him. It was currently covered by his black glove. He had originally had the missing arm replaced with a wooden prosthetic, but in recent years, he would have a mechanical one placed in thanks to an elderly doctor on Earth he had known for years.

After discovering the medallion's true nature and what it had done to past wielders, Yoshimitsu realized back then that he nearly paid a large price for being so greedy. The power the medallion gave him had almost let him forget his and his clan's true purpose. Since then, he had been out to destroy it so that it never clutched onto another again. He has searched all of Outworld through the years, but has never found it.

He continued riding on his horse, the fast winds picking up the sand below and letting it fly around aimlessly. Yoshimitsu's armor and gear protected him from the harsh weather. He had many outfits that he has worn over the years. Currently, he was wearing a large gray helmet with a demon's face, matching colored breastplate, shoulder pads, gauntlets, and shin guards, black baggy pants with gold designs along the knee area, a red and black belt, and gray sandals with black tabi socks. Strapped to his belt was a scabbard containing his beloved sword, an important relic amongst the Manji Clan which signified his leadership. Even with his gear, his six foot five frame alone made him quite intimidating.

Although the Manji Clan originally formed on Earth, they have since spread themselves amongst the realms thanks to his sword, which had the ability to form a temporary portal to take them anywhere they wished. Their main base of operation were in both Earth and the realm of Keisei, where he was currently located. The clan had mainly existed to help the meek and rob from the well-privileged. It has earned the clan the reputation of being heroes of the poor and the bane of existence of the rich and powerful.

He guessed the only good thing about his time holding the medallion was that he was granted immortality, a wish he had placed upon himself when he first wielded it. He was never really close to anyone, not even the members of his clan, and it didn't matter much to him because he liked solitude when given. Thing was, he could die if he received a fatal wound in any place of his body, having been stabbed at one time and nearly felt death approach him before someone saved him. Other than that, he had lived for hundreds of years and never came down with any sickness.

After much thinking, Yoshmitsu soon arrived at a base secluded from anywhere else. Members of his clans waited for him outside.

"Welcome back Yoshimitsu," said one member.

Yoshimitsu nodded and patted the five foot pouch on the side of the horse. "The food has arrived and we will not starve." His voice was deep and nearly echoed with each word he said thanks to a trick he learned years ago to conceal his true voice pitch. This did not scare the members for that they have grown used to it.

At that moment, a few men approached him wearing an all-black attire. Yoshimitsu recognized them as his spies in Outworld in his pursuit to destroy the medallion. His eyes scanned them curiously. "What news do you bring me?"

The leader of the spies bowed before speaking. "Master, we have found the medallion."

Shock came over the Manji leader, never expecting them to announce that. "Do you have it with you?"

The spy shook his head. "Another has it in possession, the Emperor of Outworld. We also learned that a tournament will be held there as well, hosted by the sorcerer Shang Tsung. The prize wasn't announced, but whatever they are up to, they are using the medallion as their key."

Yoshimitsu got off his horse then. Another member of the clan took the horse into the stables nearby. The leader took out his katana, which glowed in a green color.

"I will take care this." Without another word, Yoshmitsu opened a portal to Outworld and went in, much to the clan's shock and dismay.

The clan was silent for a moment before one spoke. "Why did he do that?"

The spy looked at him. "Perhaps he wants to deal with this on his own…"

And indeed Yoshimistu wanted that. He knew exactly who Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung were and realized that with the medallion in their possession, all the realms were now in peril…


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chili-san, Lee Dynasty, Keisei**

The morning sun rose into the sky bringing light into the day with the blue sky cloudless. On the edge of a small city called Chili-san, hundreds of people stood on the docks where three large old-fashioned ships awaited their passengers. All around, some with duffle bags entered the ships without much concern. Some took the time to say goodbye to their loved ones before departing. Others were not passengers or loved ones, but rather they were those who loved watching the scene to pass the time.

That was the way it normally went when the ships were docked, except something was a bit different this time around. Chili-san may be a small city, but it was nearly infested by the Coast Guards. This was mainly because of the riches that were within the land, as well as their enemies from the nearly Ryukyu Kingdom, and must be protected. Usually on the docks, there were a handful of the guards to keep everything running smoothly. This time, however, it seemed as though the entire army was there, running around the area, specifically checking on those wearing clothes over their faces.

It was obvious that they were looking for someone. Perhaps they committed a crime, most people would think, trying to escape on to the ships for freedom. However, that wasn't nearly the case.

Nearby, a small group of the guards were in a circle. All were wearing the same uniform consisting of light gray pants, black and blue shoes, and teal sleeveless shirts. Behind them in their scabbards are various swords. Each one also wore a black cherry headband around their foreheads and short dark brown gloves.

One slightly stood out from the group with an additional black band around his upper left leg, bandages going up his right arm, and his top half of his uniform was torn at the bottom slightly revealing his well-toned abs. His brown hair stood up from his head and his brown eyes narrowed as he looked at the person speaking before him and his comrades.

"She has to be around here somewhere," the leader said. "Keep a sharp lookout for her."

The men left, but the noticeable guard was stopped by the leader. He turned his head to look at him. "Hwang, do you know why Mi-na ran away again?"

Hwang blinked for a brief moment. He let himself think about the girl they were looking for, who happened to be a good friend of his; Seong Mi-na. She was the daughter of a martial arts master and swordsman, who also happened to be Hwang's master. Although, she was loved, there were still restrictions she received due to Lee Dynasty's narrow views on women. They were given limits and were not allowed to do certain things men were allowed to do, like joining the Coast Guard.

Most women there accepted that fact, believing it to be a moral value. However, Hwang knew that Mi-na believed in equal rights as do some other woman in the country. Most countries in Keisei had equal rights now a days.

The thing was, however, Hwang knew that couldn't be the reason Mi-na ran away. It was not like her to run away from a problem she and other woman could fight against like other countries. He had the feeling there was more behind it, but he couldn't figure it out, at least not yet.

Hwang knew the leader of the Coast Guard was waiting for his answer. "I have no idea," he replied. "I may be close friends with her, but I do not know all the answers."

The leader stared at him for another moment before letting his arm go. "If you happen to be the one to find her, please convince her to tell you. You know her father would want to know."

Hwang nodded as the leader left. The young guard sighed a bit. _Why would she run away?_ he thought to himself. _I just don't understand it._

Nearby, a figure in a heavy dark brown cloak walked down the docks. Only their feet, covered with a set of heavy brown boots, and set of brown eyes were peaking out from the cloak along with a noticeable hunchback. The figure scanned their eyes, feeling chills going up the spine each time a member of the Coast Guard passed by.

The figure looked up at the ships before them. It wondered if will be able to sneak on to the ship with out any problems. The figure scanned the ship, which was heavily guarded with the Coast Guard.

_Looks like I'm going with the last resort._

In the figure's gloved hand were a handful of small marbles. The person stood there for a moment. They did not have any intentions to hurt anyone, not even the Coast Guard.

After about a minute, the person decided to throw them in the water, knowing that would also make an impact. They quickly threw them when they believed no one was looking. Some of the marbles made it into the water. Some only landed on the edge of the boardwalk. Either way, all of them exploded on impact.

Immediately, chaos came all around. People screamed and began running for cover. The explosion, as expected, caught every member of the Coast Guard's attention. All of them began running from their post, including the ships, to check out the situation.

Good, the figure thought with delight. The people's attention was drawn away from the ships and when all the Coast Guard left their posts, the figure managed to get on the closest ship without a problem.

Because of the situation, only Hwang noticed the cloaked figure getting on the ship. The figure went up on the stairs and on to the ship as fast as lightning.

 _Mi-na!_ he thought to himself turning around. He stared up at the ship, then turned to his busy comrades. He thought about his honor and loyalty to the guard, but he also thought about his long-time friendship with Mi-na. Perhaps there was a reason she ran away, something he didn't know about.

Hwang then realized that he was faced with two choices… let her go and betray his comrades and martial arts master, or capture her and betray her trust. As he wondered what to decided, he came up with a plan. Perhaps he could follow her wherever this ship was going. Once he found her, he can try to ask what was going on. Depending on the nature of the story, he would make his decision from there.

Quietly, while no one watched, he managed to get on the ship the cloaked figure sneaked on to.

In the meantime, the figure managed to make it into one of the cabins in the ship. With their revealed eyes, they watched the situation outside. Things started to slowly calm down then.

Feeling safe, they took off the hood of the cloak revealing a young female with long brown hair tied in a low ponytail and wore a read headband around her forehead. This was indeed Seong Mi-na.

Mi-na sighed to herself. _Freedom at last,_ she thought to herself. _Never will I ever have to further deal with all of this…_

Much to her relief, she took off the rest of her cloak, sick of the heat she was dealing with. Mi-na wore a small sleeveless red and brown top revealing her abdomen, a brown band around her waist which held two long sashes, one in front and one behind her, design in red, green, and yellow. Behind her was a large duffle bag and a five foot Zanbatou. She had named the weapon Scarlet Thunder not only because her favorite color was red, but also because of the meaning behind the color; determination.

Later on, the ships began to depart. Mi-na began to wonder where the ship was going and what the place was going to offer to her. Wherever it was, she knew that it was going to be better than this place…

But little did she realize that these ships were heading for a tournament in another world…

~~~

**San Francisco, California, USA**

Along the boardwalk of the bay, five ships awaited departure. Those attending The Blood Tournament made their way to the old-fashioned ships. The weather was quite fair with only a few clouds in the sky with just a little breeze blowing around.

Raven looked up at the ships, his eyes scanning from behind his sunglasses while holding a duffle bag in his left hand. He had just arrived in San Francisco a few hours ago just before the morning sun rose.

The agent reached his hand to his ear and pressed on the button of his headset. "This is Raven reporting. I have arrived in San Francisco and will be departing for the tournament shortly."

After a brief moment, another voice came within the headset. "Good. Now, there should be a gentleman in a navy blue business suit standing by the café. Hand the government data to him, then be on your way."

"Roger."

"And Raven," the voice continued. "There is one other thing. Although we are not positive if this will happen, there may be a possibility that you will lose contact with us once you get to Outworld. Our communication technology was just meant for worldwide, but we are not sure if it will go beyond Earth."

Raven sighed a little. "Understood. I will return to HQ when I return."

With that in mind, Raven was pretty confident that he would lose contact with his agency. He shut his communicator off and took off the headset from his ear, no longer needing it until his return. His next objective was to go over to the café and hand over the data to a gentleman waiting for him there. He figured he could get a cup of coffee in the meantime before boarding the ship. It was only eight in the morning and the ships weren't leaving for another three hours.

Raven walked around the area until he spotted the café. Right near the entrance, he noticed an older man in a navy blue suit standing there. The agent walked to him, data ready in his hand.

The man soon spotted Raven and began to walk towards him. As soon as they were within reach, Raven walked by the man and slipped the data into the man's pocket as planned, then walked into the café.

Some of the people already in the café looked at Raven curiously. He wore his usually dark clothing in which he usually wore during his missions, something that was rather unusual to those in the building he assumed. However, Raven walked towards the counter as though he was a normal civilian. With that, the people continued with their own business.

A young blonde woman wearing the blue and white-stripped uniform of the café looked at him. "Welcome sir, what will it be this morning?"

Raven briefly looked at the menu above them, then back at the woman. "I'll have an Espresso to go."

With that, the woman began making the coffee. While that was going on, Ken Masters, wearing a red collared shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers, entered the café, also in the mood for some coffee before leaving. He still felt half asleep, but that was mainly due to the fact that he was up most of the night making love to Eliza.

Unfortunately, Eliza decided not to come with Ken to the docks for that she felt it would put more strain on herself emotionally. Ken had promised her that this would be the last tournament he would attend for a while and that they would go on their cruise when they got back. His limo driver took him to the docks and he had arrived just a few moments ago.

Ken looked up at the menu trying to decide what he wanted, but then decided to go for a simple black coffee. As he approached the counter, he noticed Raven receiving his coffee and paying for it before turning around to leave.

Just by Raven's clothes alone, Ken realized that he was most likely a participant in the tournament. The millionaire decided to make a compliment then. "That's a cool gear you got there."

Raven was a bit surprised that someone spoke to him, let alone make a compliment of his wear. He slightly nodded and let out a small "Thanks."

"No problem," Ken continued. "I assume that you will be attending the tournament as well. I'm Ken Masters by the way."

As nice as Ken was, Raven wasn't in the mood for a friendly conversation. He gestured a friendly nod and walked away. Ken was a bit taken aback by it, but decided to ignore it then and ordered his coffee.

Once Ken got his coffee, he sat down at an empty table next to the window. Then, before he could sip the fresh coffee, a young dark-haired woman sat at the chair in front of him with a Cappuccino in both of her brown gloved hands. Ken thought she was cute with most of her hair pulled back into two ponytails and her red-rimmed glasses clinging on to her face. Her outfit consisted of jeans with a matching jacket, a white shirt, and white cowboy boots.

"So your entering the tournament too," she asked with a small smile on her face.

Ken smiled as well. "Yes I am."

The woman thought about the conversation Ken tried to have with Raven before, having watched the whole scene from her table. "I guess with the mystery around the tournament, the guy you just talked to must've been an agent."

"I figured as much," Ken replied.

"I'm Julia Chang by the way."

"Ken Masters. Of course, you probably already heard me say that already."

They both laughed a little bit before Julia continued. "So what do you think this tournament is all about?"

Ken shrugged. "We'll have to see and find out, but I'm sure, since the best fighters from all over the universe are supposed to be there, it's going to be a pretty interesting tournament. I have a good feeling my friend Ryu will be there, since he's one of the best as well."

Julia only nodded. "That's interesting. So, let's finish up our coffees and head to the ships."

"Good idea."

They finished their coffees before leaving the café. As they made their way outside, Julia ended up tripping and falling face first into the ground. "Oof!" she cried out.

Ken bent down to help her up. "You all right?"

Julia laughed a little. "Yeah, it's nothing. I didn't even trip on anything either."

Ken laughed as well. He helped her up and the two began their way to the ships.

On one of the ships, a lone bald man, towering over most of the people around him, looked down at the people on the boardwalk with his single eye. The other eye was covered with a black eye patch. He wore a navy jacket covering his well-built muscles and the large scar on his chest, blue shorts with yellow trims, and white bandages wrapped around his hands, wrists, feet, and ankles.

This man was known as Sagat, the former Muay Thai champion and former henchman of Shadaloo. When he lost his title to a fighter named Ryu, Sagat lost his sense of pride and honor. He went as far as joining Shadaloo to earn his revenge against Ryu, the one who left a scar on his chest. Though Sagat realized that revenge was not the answer, he still continued to serve Shadaloo. That was until the downfall of their leader Bison.

Even Sagat and the rest of the henchmen had no idea what had happened to their leader. Afterwards, Sagat along with two others, Vega and Balrog, left the base for good. Sagat returned to Thailand. He wasn't sure what happened to Balrog, but he knew Vega had gone back in his homeland in Spain.

In Shadaloo, there were a group of young female assassins known as the Dolls. They were young girls, now women, who were kidnapped from around the world who were brainwashed into becoming assassins, their memories wiped cleaned. Once Bison was gone, all the girls were freed except one; Lisa Wagner, codename: Viper.

Vega had actually taken Viper back to Spain with him afterwards. Sagat kind of had an idea why Vega had taken her with him, but it was something he wasn't going to let himself think about.

Then, Sagat's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a presence nearby. As he turned his head, the figure spoke. "Well, if it isn't _master_ Sagat. What brings you here?"

Sagat growled in his mind then realizing who had just spoken. His one eye saw the young male, a foot shorter than him, before him. It happened to be one of his Muay Thai students by the name of Adon.

Adon normally bared a cocky grin whenever Sagat saw him, but since it had been years since he last saw him, Adon wasn't smiling this time, much to the former champion's surprise. Other than age, Adon hadn't changed much, still sporting his red hair flattened at the top, his blue short with gold trims (thought slightly designed different than Sagat's), his feet and hands bandaged up, and still wore a yellow _mong kon_ around his head.

Sagat narrowed his single eye at him. "So you came all the way to the US rather than taking the ships from Hong Kong?"

The young former apprentice snorted. "I happened to have been in Manhattan when I got the invitation." Adon waved the invitation at Sagat before continuing. "Anywho, you haven't answered my question yet, but I'll ask you another one in the meantime. Still working for that idiotic Shadaloo company?"

The former championed cringed a little, nearly forgetting about the high-pitched voice Adon bared. "I see that your attitude hasn't changed a bit since I left. First off, it's none of your business. Second, assuming that you haven't heard the news, Shadaloo no longer exist."

Once again, Adon snorted. "Whatever, all that doesn't really matter much to me anyways."

"Then why did you ask me then?"

Adon was silent for a moment, then continued ignoring the question. "Any who, I think we all know who's going to win this tournament… the Muay Thai _God_ himself. I see it now… winning whatever the grand prize awaits for me, the crowd cheering for me, chanting my name…"

Sagat mentally shook his head. "Your ego is still inflated as it was when I last saw you. You shouldn't be overconfident, but I guess my words don't affect you much now a days."

"The hell it doesn't!" Adon cried out. "Besides, I shouldn't be taking advice from a _former_ Muay Thai Champion when I KNOW I'm going to win this thing. You will see!"

With that, Adon walked away, much to Sagat's slight relief. He sighed to himself, turned his head, and looked on once again at the people on the boardwalk.

 _Where the hell are you Vega?_ he thought. _We have new business to take care of…_

As the people on the boardwalk went about their business, they were suddenly interrupted when two people, a man and a woman, began running quickly down the walkway, pushing anyone who stood in their way. Another woman followed them not too far with a large gun in her hand.

The two running from the armed woman both bore long blond hair, with the male's tied back in a lose braid. He torso was bare revealing a purple snake tattoo wrapping around it. He wore a red sash around his waist, purple and yellow tight pants, white socks, and brown shoes. Three long claws bared his right hand and he wore a off-white mask on his face.

Just behind him, the woman followed closely, an emotionless expression on her face. Her long hair flew behind her. She wore an all-green attire aside from her black combat boots with baggy pants, a short mid-drift shirt, and black gloves that ended at mid-forearm.

The armed woman following them was also blond, which was tied back in a single ponytail with a few strands around her face. She wore a skin tight purple and black bodysuit. Despite the fact that she was wearing purple high heeled boots, she ran as though she was running in sneakers.

She was the assassin Nina Williams. Being followed by her was her main target Vega Fabio De Cerna and his 'minion' Viper.

A few days ago, Nina was assigned to assassinate Vega for the crimes he had committed over the years. Knowing that Viper was with him, Nina was asked to leave the girl unharmed since she was currently brainwashed, which bugged the assassin. This was because Viper would most of the time attack her before she got to Vega.

Things were worse this time because now they were surrounded by people. The last thing Nina's client wanted her to do was kill innocent people.

 _Why didn't he just pick a better place to run off to?_ she thought to herself sarcastically.

Vega and Viper continued running from Nina. As they did, Vega saw Sagat waiting for him on one of the boats.

"It's not too far now my dear," Vega said. "Why don't you keep the girl at bay for a few minutes. Have some fun."

"Yes sir," Viper replied. Vega continued running towards the boat as she turned around to face Nina.

Nina stopped as she saw Viper standing before her. "Damn it!" Nina cried out. "Get out of the way already!"

Viper only narrowed her blue eyes before running over to Nina to attack her. Nina quickly put her gun away before defending herself from Viper's attacks. Most of the people around them stopped to watch the fight.

Throughout the entire fight, Viper was on offense while Nina was on defense. As Nina looked for an opened, she suddenly noticed a brown-haired figure in a red dress watching the fight. Nina recognized that dress anywhere.

"You!" she cried out, but the short distraction gave Viper the advantage. She managed to give a hard kick under Nina's chin sending her flying a few feet into the air. With the large crowd surrounding them, Viper took the opportunity to escape, believing that she had given enough time for Vega and herself to escape Nina. As Nina landed on the ground, the last Shadaloo doll was gone.

When the crowd realized the fight was over, they dispersed. As Nina recovered from her blow, the red figure walked over to her. Arrogantly, she offered a hand to Nina, but the young assassin only slapped the hand away hard and got herself up.

"Why are you here Anna?" Nina demanded.

Anna let out a laugh. "Well, I was here to enter a tournament, but who knew we would meet up again. Fancy work you just did there by the way."

Nina only glared at the woman who happened to be her younger sister. For years they despised each other and numerous times have they tried to kill each other.

Anna thought about their rivalry for a moment before an idea came to her head. "Say, you don't know about this tournament do you?"

"Like you expect me to care?" Nina growled.

"But you should. You see, the best in the universe are going to be there. If you think you are the best, you should attend as well. No invitation required. Perhaps there, we can settle our little score."

Nina said nothing as she stared at her sister. Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a green figure entering one of the boats. Nina slightly turned her head and noticed Viper getting on one of the ships.

She growled to herself, realizing that Anna was about to get her wish. "I'll see you then." After that, Nina walked away without another word.

Anna watched her sister leave, a smirk appearing on her face. "That fool. The bitch has no idea what she's getting herself into…"

~~~

**Hong Kong, China**

Seven boats were present at the bay, all ready to bring the fighters going to the tournament to their destiny. The weather was mostly cloudy, but it seemed as though there were no threats of rain as of now.

Chun Li looked up at the skyline of Hong Kong just as she got on the ship. She had the feeling that it was going to be a while before her return to the city, and she felt the need to take in the view one last time before her departure.

"Chun Li!" cried out the voice of her partner, Lei Wulong. Her thoughts were interrupted and she immediately looked at Lei who was following her… and carrying his own luggage along with five of Chun Li's.

The female agent smiled. "I appreciate you carrying my bags, Lei."

Lei gave out a loud sigh. Sure, he offered to carrying her bags, but the thing was he didn't expect them to not only be so heavy, but also to be carrying all of them.

"Have you ever heard of the term, 'travel light?'" Lei asked her as he struggled to go up the walkway to the old ship.

"Yes, I have," Chun Li replied. "But you know how I am with my work materials... and I couldn't decide which of my fighting outfits to wear, so I took all of them."

At that moment, the weight of the bags brought Lei down and he began tumbling back down to the boardwalk below. People behind him quickly got out of the way as Lei and the bags slid down.

Most people giggled once they found out he was okay. Chun Li felt bad then and she made her way down to the walkway and helped Lei up.

"I'm sorry about that," Chun Li said sympathetically as she picked up three of her bags.

Lei sighed but managed to smirk anyways as he got up and picked up two of Chun Li's other bags and his own. "It's all right Chun. But just know for next time… I'm pretty sure wherever we are going, they will offer us whatever we need."

"I know," the female agent answered. "But I can't help my packing habit. Now, let's get on the ship before all the good cabins get taken."

"Right," the male agent agreed. The two walked up the walkway to the ship.

On the boardwalk, Jin Kazama looked down at his invitation. Only a few days ago did he receive the piece of paper with his name on it. As a jet above flew over the city, he looked up at the ships. He found it quite odd that they were old-fashioned, each one with a small dragon head at the bow. They seemed as though they came from the 17th century.

 _This may end up being an interesting ride,_ the young man thought to himself.

It was then that a Japanese man in a white gi and red headband passed by. Jin felt a strong energy within the man and looked at him. Then, as if at the same time, the man looked at him as well, also sensing Jin's energy.

Both of them sensed they auras within, an aura in which were mixed of purity and impurity. The men had blank expressions on their faces, unsure of how to react.

Finally, Jin decided to end the deal and start a conversation. "So, by looking at your gi, you will be going to the tournament as well?"

The stranger nodded. "And you the same?"

Jin nodded as well. "I have a good feeling the both of us will be putting up very good fights throughout the tournament. My name is Jin by the way."

"The name's Ryu. You are from Japan, aren't you?"

"And you the same?"

Ryu gave a rare smirk. "Seems that we have a few things in common already."

Jin laughed a little as he looked at his watch. "The ships leave in two hours. We should hurry if we want to get the best cabin."

The Ansatsuken warrior nodded in agreement before the two went on their way.

Nearby, the ice ninja Sub-Zero looked up at the ships as they came into view. He had himself a few days of weary traveling and was relieved to finally see his transportation. He was looking forward to a nice rest, not caring whether or not he was going to get a descent cabin.

Sub-Zero looked at his surroundings to see his possible competitions. He was quite surprised by the many diverse fighters who were going to be attending the tournament. Each one had a reason to accept the invitation, he was sure. The Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei clan had his reason… to take down Sektor and the Tekunin clan once and for all.

He reached a ship and got on. Right after he showed the guard his invitation, the ninja could have sworn he saw a shimmer not too far from the corner of his eye. He turned his head and spotted a cloaked figure. He saw the shimmer again from under the hood of the figure's cloak.

The ninja decided to get a better look. He walked up to the figure and was about to say something when the figure suddenly jumped at him.

Sub-Zero was surprised by this and tried to struggle out from the person's hold. The person managed to pin him down and tighten their grip on them.

"What the-" he managed to say. "Get off me!"

"Please listen to me," the figure said. Sub-Zero realized then that the body leaning against him was not human, but rather a cyborg-

 _Cyborg!_ He realized it then… a member of the Tekunin clan was right on top of him! He slightly turned his head and saw a green head with some black on it and a long strand of dreadlocks. He also realized by the tone of the machine, though robotic, it was female.

"What do you want?" Sub-Zero demanded.

The cyborg continued then. "I know you are thinking that I am working for Sektor. I'm coming forward now rather than hide from you to tell you that I'm no longer under his control."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"I'm after Sektor as well," the female cyborg said. "My name is Matrik, and I was the first female of the clan… that's all I really know about myself. If anything, though I don't think you will accept, we can team up and take him and his clan down."

Sub-Zero was kind of surprised by what he was hearing. He believed her in a way because she wasn't talking in a stoic, robotic fashion like the rest of the Tekunin, aside from Sektor. But then again, the ninja had been deceived most of his life, even by members of his own clan.

Matrik let him go then and stood up. Sub-Zero stood himself up and looked at the cyborg, a tall one for her gender, about five foot ten inches he guessed.

"If you had placed any action against my clan in the past," the Grandmaster stated. "Then I'll forgive you… for now. I'll team up with you, but understand that I'm not going to fully trust you just yet. I've been deceived many times in the past and don't trust too easily. If you want to earn my trust, you will keep your loyalty and continue that at the tournament."

Matrik nodded in agreement without saying another word.

Sub-Zero wasn't sure what else to say from there. He turned around and began walking away. As he did, he spoke out to her. "I'll see you around."

The female cyborg only watched as the ninja left, hoping that he would keep his word to help her.

In an area out of sight of those on the boardwalk and ships, a lone man in a yellow and black ninja suit watched the sight with his pale eyes. Nothing was on his mind but one…revenge.

This was the ninja spetre Scorpion of the Netherrealm. A while ago, while chasing down his enemy Quan Chi, both went through a portal that took them out of the dreaded realm. Scorpion ended up here on Earth, but unfortunately, Quan Chi wasn't there. The spectre realized that the portal had taken the sorcerer to another realm.

Quan Chi had been responsible for the murder of Scorpion's wife and son, along with every member of his clan, the Shirai Ryu. Not only that, but the sorcerer manipulated Scorpion into thinking that it was Sub-Zero who had done the deed. It was rather the older brother of the Sub-Zero currently on the ships who was his own murderer. Scorpion already received vengeance for his own murder, killing the older Sub-Zero in cold blood years ago.

Just a few days ago, Scorpion had heard about the Blood Tournament, in which he knew it was taking place in Outworld. Funny how not long before that, Quan Chi escaped from the Netherrealm.

 _He'll be there,_ Scorpion thought to himself. _He may be able to run, but he can't hide from me for long._

It was at that moment that from the corner of the spectre's eye, a figure emitting a dark aura stood near him. Scorpion turned around, prepared to fight. He then saw the stranger in full view.

Unknown to him, it was the Akuma, the raging demon, who stood there. A dark red aura surrounded his muscular body wearing a black karate gi. His fiery red hair, which was tied in a high ponytail, swayed in the breeze, and his red eyes stared at the spectre.

"And you call yourself a demon," Akuma said. "Pathetic. You should not care about vengeance. You should care about nothing."

Scorpion immediately took him as an adversary. At the same time, both of them ran towards each other in a fiery rage. Then, just before one could have watched a fight, a ball of flames surrounded the two beings and when it disappeared, so did they.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My other fic, _Air Force Legacy_ would explain the brother/sister-like relationship between Cammy and my OC Wagner. However, reading that fic is not required since it's all explained later down the line here.

**San Francisco, California, USA**

"We are finally here mates!" cried out Lita as she and the rest of the Delta Red team arrived at the docks.

"At the next bloody transportation," sighed Major Matt McCoy while adjusting his red beret. "First we had to take the plane to New York, then another one to San Francisco, then a taxi to here, and now a crummy boat to wherever we are going… are we there yet?"

"Be patient McCoy," replied Colonel Keith Wolfman. "I have a feeling that we're halfway there."

Next to the Colonel, George Ginzu, with his little green goo friend following him, was hacking into a program in one of his handheld games. "According to what I looked up during our flight, wherever we are going will be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

Lita looked at the young boy oddly. "Are you sure about that?"

Throughout the travel, Cammy was quiet most of the time, thinking about the former Shadaloo soldiers who may be there. Could it be just regular soldiers who never got much credit in their duty? Could it be Bison's three henchman? Or will the last Shadaloo doll be there?

"Well I'm beat and hungry," McCoy said patting his gut. "Hope they serve good food on this thing."

Wolfman turned to Cammy then, realizing that she had been quiet the whole time. "You all right?" he asked.

Cammy got out of her daze after hearing the Colonel's voice. "Yes sir, I'm-"

"CAMMY!" yelled out a voice suddenly. The rest of the Delta Red team looked around the area in confusion, but the voice that called out to Cammy was a recognizable one. She turned her head and spotted a blonde-haired man sporting his old brown jacket, despite the warm weather, with K. Wagner inscribed on the left.

"Wagner!" Cammy called out. She ran over to Wagner and the two shared a brief hug. "What are you doing here?" the Delta Red member asked as she pulled away. "When I called you, you didn't say anything about coming here."

Wagner showed off a cocky grin. "Well, Guile and I wanted to surprise you."

"That's great! It's good to see family again before leaving."

The Air Force pilot chuckled. "Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you, we're going too."

Cammy let her expression fall in a false attempt to look a little disappointed. "Also good to know that you two still like to follow me around."

"Actually, not really this time," said a voice from behind Wagner. Cammy looked past him and noticed Guile coming up to the two of them. The young woman smiled and walked up to him.

Guile smiled as well and the two shared a brief hug. "It's good to see you again Guile."

"Same here Cammy."

When they pulled back, the rest of the Delta Red team came up to the three. Wolfman and Guile, having to have met a few times before, shook hands. "Welcome back," Guile greeted. "I assume you guys will be on a mission."

"Yes," Wolfman answered. "And you the same?"

Guile nodded. "As a matter of fact, Scott and I are going to be meeting up with two members of the Special Forces. They should be here any minute. We'll also be meeting with two members of Interpol, Chun Li included, once we get there."

Wagner cringed a little as Guile addressed him by his first name. He looked over at Cammy. "Hey, let's go to that Deli place over there and get something to eat before we leave."

"Sounds good" Cammy said.

"That's a great idea, I'm starving," said McCoy.

"You always are," sighed Lita.

"You guys be back soon," Guile suggested as the four, along with Ginzu, left.

Wolfman looked back at the Air Force Colonal. "I know that these things are confidential, but is Shadaloo part of your mission?"

"Partially. There are other reasons that I'm sure everyone else is going after in this tournament."

"I wish you the best of luck then," Wolfman said. "As a matter of fact, even though we are on separate teams, we should help each other out."

"That would be great. Unfortunately, I'm not the leader of the team this time, so it would be up to her."

"That's a bummer. A lady leading the team? She must be a strong woman."

"She is," Guile answered. "Have you heard of Sonya Blade?"

"I have," Wolfman remembered. "She's one of the members of the Outerworld Investigation Agency in Special Forces, those who investigate not just on Earth, but all the realms they have access to. They are a very impressive team and she's one of the best."

Then, a female voice was heard from behind them. "Glad to hear compliments about me."

The two turned around and faced the woman who they were just talking about. Along with her were two other agents, a male and a female. The five saluted before Guile proceeded. "Captain Blade, this is Colonel Keith Wolfman of the MI-6 Delta Red Team, London. Colonel, this is Captain Sonya Blade of Special Forces, Los Angeles."

The two shook hands. "Nice to meet you," Wolfman said.

"Same here," Sonya said. "And these two are Special Agent Kenshi and Lieutenant Alex Walker."

The three nodded. "So Lieutenant, will you be joining us?" asked Guile.

"Actually, I'm just here to drop Kenshi and Sonya off," Alex answered with a small smile. "But I wish you all the best of luck in your missions."

Just then, Wagner, Cammy, Lita, McCoy, and Ginzu came up to them with Cammy holding a large bag of their breakfast and all of them holding their own drinks. "We're back with breakfast," announced Lita.

"This is my team," Wolfman mentioned aware that they had already met Wagner.

"Nice to meet you all," Sonya said.

"Captain," Guile began to state. "Delta Red are also on a mission for some of the same cause as us. Perhaps if we, along with Interpol, join forces, we can easily crack down on the investigations."

"It's a good idea," Sonya said as she pondered over this. "However, my General had made it clear to us that we are to keep the team no more than six members. With this, perhaps we can work separately and meet up to discuss what we discover and such."

"That's fine with me," Wolfman agreed. "It's best to keep our teams separate in this case."

As this conversation went on, Wagner began to notice both Sonya and Alex. _Damn,_ he thought. _If I had known the Special Forces women were hot, I would've joined them!_

"Great," Guile agreed. "The ships leave in two hours. We should get going."

The others agreed then and began heading towards the boat except for Sonya, Kenshi, and Alex. Sonya turned to the younger woman. "Thanks for taking us here, we appreciate it."

"It's not a problem," Alex replied. "You two should get going before the good cabins go."

“Take care of yourself,” Sonya proceeded. “And drive safe when you head back down to Los Angeles.”

"We'll be back as soon as this is over," said the usually-silent Kenshi.

Alex nodded. “Good luck... both of you.”

With that, Sonya and Kenshi began following the rest of the group. Alex sighed to herself as she watched her two allies leave, deciding to stand where she was until they were on the ships. The young woman especially watched Kenshi leave. Although she considered him a ally, having worked with him numerous times since he joined Special Forces over a year ago, her admiration for his skills and abilities despite being blind had since turned into a small crush. However, she was very sure that nothing would become of it.

At that thought, Alex shook her head quickly. _I can't think like that,_ she thought with a small sigh. _I should head back home... even though the scenery between here and LA was dull. Then I can start ordering those tickets to Florida once my three-week leave is approved._

She continued to stand there until the group entered the ship. When the last person went on, Alex was about to turn around when she suddenly noticed a suspicious shadowed figure quickly getting on the ship through one of the windows. The Lieutenant cocked an eyebrow, realizing that perhaps an intruder had entered the ship.

Alex looked at the area and saw that no one nearby seemed concerned. Most likely, no one had seen it get into the ship but her. If that was the case, then she was the only person who could take care of the problem. With that, she place her hand on the hilt of her glock model 40 hand gun from under her leather jacket, and then proceeded to the ship.

She was sure that she would capture the intruder before the ships left port...

~~~

**Hong Kong, China**

About an hour before departure, Yun and Yang arrived at the docks along with their younger sister Yin. She hadn't been at their restaurant when they received the invitation from their grandfather and they showed her the paper when she got home. Since she wanted to honor her grandfather and prove to the universe that she, as a woman, could fight as well as any man, Yin decided to attend the tournament.

"We finally made it," Yin said while brushing out her short dark hand with her fingers. "It's a good thing that Yang and I are morning people or else you would've never got up and make us even more late for the departure."

"I said I was sorry!" whined Yun.

"Well," said Yang. "You two have fun and try to be home soon."

Yun and Yin looked at Yang with slight concern. "Are you sure you don't want to go bro?" Yun asked.

Yang shrugged a little. "I'm pretty sure. Besides, someone has to stay home and take care of grandfather."

"But you know," mentioned Yin. "He did say that you can go, even if you decide once you dropped us off."

At that moment, Yang noticed a blonde figure about twenty feet away from them. From previous tournaments, he instantly recognized her.

 _Maki!_ he thought with a bit of excitement. He admitted to himself that he developed a crush on her since their first tournament together. Yang was quite surprised to see her here and quickly realized that she too was going to attend the tournament. What other reason could she be here?

"Eh, you know what," Yang began. "Grandfather's right, I should attend this tournament."

Yun and Yin looked at their older brother in confusion. "Why the sudden change of mind?" they both said at the same time.

Yang shrugged again. "Um, I guess because I came to realize that this may be a better tournament than all the others we have been to. Come on, let's go." He began walking towards the boats then.

"Great!" cried Yun. "Because I actually packed your clothes in my other suitcase!"

"Clever," sighed Yin.

Soon the hour came and the workers were just beginning to unwrap the ropes from the docks when they suddenly hear a voice cry out, "WAAAAAIIIIIT!"

Cody and Guy were running towards the boats while trying to keep their heavy bags in hand. "DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT US!" Cody cried out as he followed Guy close behind.

They ran up the walkway, which was about a few inches off the ship itself. Guy stopped himself to show the invitation to the crew member waiting, but then Cody smashed into them and they both fell forward. Luckily, there were only a few inches in between the walkway and the boat and not a few feet or else everyone would've got a good show of them falling into the water.

Another good thing was that Guy still had his grip on the invitation and held it up for the shipman. "Here you go," he said.

"Good thing you chose this boat," the man said. "We only got one cabin left. Good luck at the tournament."

The two friends got themselves up. "Thanks," Guy said as they walked on to the ship.

With that, the ships began to finally depart. Those on the docks waved goodbye to those heading to the tournament with the attendants doing the same from the ships. This lasted until the view of Hong Kong could no longer be seen clearly.

Guy sighed to himself as he and Cody dispersed from the crowd. "Nice going Cody. Because you set your alarm for 8 _pm_ instead of 8am, we were almost late."

"But at least we made it, right?" Cody asked nervously.

The Bushin ninja sighed again. "I guess. But this 'last' cabin is probably the worst one. Let's just get this over with."

"Great… because I need more sleep."

"...Yeah."

Just then, Guy noticed a tall figure a few feet from them. His back was turned to them, but the ninja recognized the blue and orange clothes on him, especially the mask and the double sais on his belt.

"Crap," Guy muttered as he grabbed Cody and ran to the lower levels of the ship where the cabins were.

"Hey!" the former street brawler cried out. "What was that for?"

"Cody… do you remember Sodom?"

"Of course I do, he was one of the members of the Mad Gear gang. Why do you asked?"

Guy shook his head a bit. "He's here. We may have not seen him in ages, but who knows what he's up to."

"I know," Cody agreed. "After he practically stalked you all over Japan, I wouldn't be surprised. Why did he do it again?"

"Because he had a grudge against me after I took him down in Metro City. It's been a while though. Let's forget about it. I'm sure he's forgotten all about it."

"You never know buddy."

With that, the two headed to their cabin.

Meanwhile, back outside, Asuka, Mika, Sakura, and Ibuki looked ahead at the ocean line before them. "It's beautiful," said Ibuki. "Nothing but ocean for miles."

"I know," agreed Mika. "And out there is the tournament."

"I can't wait!" cried Sakura. "With so many fighters, it's all going to be unpredictable."

Asuka smoothed out her hair a little from her face. "But at the same time, it's going to be fun. I hope it's a nice area we are going to."

Suddenly, Asuka and Ibuki each felt an arm wrap around them. They looked over their shoulder only to see the familiar pink-clad man with a huge smile on his face.

"I'm so excited as well!" Dan cried out. "I'm going to show the world what Saikyo is really all about!"

Asuka and Ibuki cringed. "DAN!" they cried out.

"Did you follow us here, Hibiki-san?" Sakura asked.

Dan unwrapped his arms from Asuka and Ibuki and looked at her in shock. "No I didn't! I found an invitation on the floor of the gymnasium of the Women's Tournament." He took out the paper, which had Sakura's name on it.

"So that's where it went," Sakura sighed.

"Dan," said Ibuki. "If you are going to be going to this tournament, at least don't follow us this whole time."

It was then that the boat was hit by a large wave causing the boat to sway. The girls, and Dan, held on to the edge of the boat. Then, someone knocked into Mika and the two fell back into the floor.

"Oof!" cried Mika. She looked down and saw a male figure on top of her. "Hey!" she cried out and pushed him off of her.

The man looked up as he adjusted his red headband. He blushed a little from the awkward position he was just in. "Um, sorry…"

Mika looked at him then, realizing how cute he was. "Um, that's okay," she replied innocently. The stranger helped her up to her feet. "I'm Mika by the way."

"Ryu," the stranger simply said before walking away. Mika looked on as he did.

Sakura turned around then once she got her balance back. "Wait a minute… did he say Ryu?"

Mika looked at her a bit surprised. "Um, yeah. Why?"

"COME BACK RYU!" Sakura cried out as she began running after the Ansatsuken warrior.

~~~

**The ship from San Francisco.**

After many hours, the sun finally set for the night bringing out the bright stars and half moon above. Most of the travelers hit the hay by that time, which finally gave Alex the advantage to look for the intruder who came on the ship.

Alex had been in hiding most of the time from the other passengers for the shadowed figure. Hours ago, with the amount of movement and focus she made while hunting down the intruder, she hadn't noticed the ship she was on moving until about five miles out. By then, she could hardly make out San Francisco amongst the city smog.

 _Son of a bitch,_ was her first thought once she realized how far the docks were. _Wherever they're going, looks like I'm going to be a part of it too._

Getting out of hiding, she held her gun close and proceeded to the outer parts of the ship. Not a single soul was in sight, but that was because she was at the stern portion of the ship, where rarely anyone was around at night.

 _Damn,_ she began to think once again. _What if this was all in my imagination? Then I'd_ really _feel like an idiot._

Little did she realize was that the shadowed figure she was looking for was now sneaking up from behind her, dagger in hand. The figure slowly came up to her, and raised the dagger.

Before it could strike down, a arrow that looked like green energy came flying towards the figure. The figure saw it in time and managed to dodge out of the way as the arrow flew and hit a wall.

Alex heard the commotion then and quickly turned around, aiming her gun at whoever was behind her. She was surprised to see the shadowed figure, a male, with only the color blue glowing in his eyes. She slightly turned her head, wondering who had shot the arrow.

Another male figure stood there, one that obviously showed that he was Native American. A blue headband with a single feather on the side of her stern face wrapped around his head, which consisted of long black hair with a couple strands of gray. He wore a red vest, a brown belt, blue jeans, and brown boots. Two tomahawks were placed safely on the side of his belt, and he held a bow and arrow, aiming at the shadow. Alex noticed the green energy that came from the weapon he held.

"Leave here at once, demon," he commanded.

The shadow only laughed. "We shall see." With that, he ran over to the edge of the ship and jumped overboard. Alex and the stranger ran over to where he jumped and when they looked down, no one was in sight.

"Damn," Alex muttered. Then, the bow and arrow the stranger was holding dispersed in the air. Alex watched in amazement as it did.

When it did, the stranger looked at her. "He almost got you back there. He looked like a demon from the Netherrealm."

The young woman nodded, having heard about the Netherrealm before from Sonya. "Yes, he did. I should be more careful next time. Thanks for covering my back."

The man nodded and put his hand out for a handshake in greeting. "I am Nightwolf."

Alex took his hand and they shook them. "And I'm-"

"WALKER!" another female voice yelled out, nearly scaring Alex out of her skin.

 _Shit..._ The young agent turned her head to where the voice was heard. A small crowd consisting of Sonya, Kenshi, Guile, Wagner, Cammy, the Delta Red team, Julia, and Ken began to surround the area, having heard the commotion from wherever they were. Alex then noticed an angry looking Sonya coming up to her, then stopping a few inches near her. Because of their height difference, Alex felt like Sonya was towering over her.

"What are you doing here?" Sonya asked firmly. "You were ordered to remain in the states."

Alex felt the need to stand up for herself then even with the risk of insubordination. "You'll have to excuse me, but I noticed an intruder coming onto the ship and came to investigate."

“I can vouch for her if needed,” spoke up Nightwolf.

Sonya acknowledged him with a nod before turning her attention back to Alex. "But you know we would've taken care of it ourselves."

"As far as I was concerned, no else had noticed at the time."

"Well, either way, you shouldn't have come here."

"Just to save your life I would!"

"Cat fight!" Wagner called out suddenly. Everyone else stared at him, but Sonya and Alex hadn't even heard him. Unknown to them, Nina Williams had heard the commotion as well. In the shadows, she watched the events in front of her.

"You are aware that you had violated orders, Agent Walker," Sonya continued.

"Well," Alex protested. "I didn't realize saving an ally's life was a violation!"

"You know what I mean!"

"That's enough you two," Kenshi finally cut in, walking up to them as he realized that, since both of them worked with him, he would be the only one to diffuse the situation. He stood just a foot in between the both of them. "Sonya, although what Alex did was a violation against order, shouldn't she get the credit for going out of her way to try to save us? Besides, I sensed something the moment we got on this ship and whatever it was, she saw it."

Sonya sighed to herself, deciding not to say anything as she realized that Kenshi was right, though she was a little annoyed that the swordsman hadn't said anything about it in the first place. However, as a free agent, he had the right not to report minor situations to her unless it effected the main mission as a whole.

"Hmmm," said Wagner realizing something different about Kenshi. "What's with the blin-"

Suddenly, a purple energy formed in front of the group, startling the group.

"What the hell?!" called out Ken.

The energy then formed into a purple-haired woman, wearing a pink off-shoulder button down dress with a black and gold belt, a purple sleeveless top under the dress, purple stockings, pink high heels, and a yellow scarf wrapped around her shoulders. Everyone looked at her and feel silent, unsure of what to say.

"Greetings," the woman said. "I'm glad all of you are finally assembled here. I am Rose, and the realms are in trouble."

 _Well this I didn't see coming,_ Sonya thought almost sarcastically after her off-planet experiences in the past.

McCoy was the first to speak. "Well, hello there."

"What's going on?" asked Julia.

"Unfortunately, we cannot explain it here," Rose replied. "Come with me. You have been chosen… even you, Nina Williams." Everyone turned around and saw Nina standing in the shadows. She sighed to herself and stepped into the light.

"Why me?" she asked in a monotone voice, clearly uninterested in getting pulled into this.

"Let's just say that it involves your sister."

Nina looked up, interested then. Whatever was to happen, the assassin was going to keep her distance from the rest of the group, only being concerned with her assignment and Anna.

"Now, come," Rose said and began walking. Everyone was hesitant at first until Cammy followed her. Then, the others did the same.

~~~

**The ship from Hong Kong**

Raiden kept his place amongst the white sails, unseen by any mortal. During the day, he searched for those with pure heart and soul, despite their pasts and despite what they had done in life. It was their sense of good and justice was what mattered.

The Thunder God only found seventeen mortals on the ship who possessed that; the Interpol agents Chun Li and Lei, the warriors Ryu and Jin, the Metro City heroes Guy, Cody, and Maki, the Womens' Tournament fighters Mika, Asuka, Sakura, and Ibuki, the ice ninja Sub-Zero, the Triple Dragons Yun, Yang, and Yin, the former Tekunin member Matrik, and even the Saikyo fighter Dan.

When night fell, Raiden placed himself in the deepest part of the ship and with a streack of lightning, all seventeen fighters were transported. Everyone appeared in sheer confusion.

"What's going on?" asked Yang out loud.

"I don't know, but this is weird," replied Maki.

"Maki?" Guy suddenly called out. "What are you doing here?"

Maki tried to find the words to say at that moment. "I, um-"

"AAAHH!" Ibuki suddenly screamed.

Everyone turned out, which turned out to be the last thing Ibuki needed. She had been getting ready for bed when she was transported, only leaving her in her bra and panties.

"Ibuki!" cried Mika, Sakura, and Asuka. All three huddled around Ibuki to hide her embarrassment.

Asuka eyed at all the guys in the room. "Don't you be thinking about anything, you perverts!"

All the guys looked at her nervously, raising their hands up as though they had just been caught stealing.

Chun Li looked around the room then. "Why were we all transported here?"

"Greetings mortals," a booming voice called out. Everyone turned around and noticed Raiden sitting on one of the wooden boxes, electricity surrounding him.

"Holy shit!" cried out Cody who nearly fell over in surprise. Guy only shook his head over his friend's reaction in dismay.

"Who are you?" asked Jin.

"This is the Thunder God Raiden," mentioned Sub-Zero.

"Thank you for the introduction, old friend," Raiden answered. He stood up then and looked at everyone. "You are wondering why I brought you down here. That is because you all have been chosen to defend your world, and all the other worlds in the universe."

"Why is that?" asked Yin.

Raiden began to explain then. "There is a medallion called Chishio No Me, also known as The Bloody Eye. You may have heard of the legend, maybe not. Still, it possesses all the power in the world and grants it to those who have their hand on it. The Emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn, now has it in his possession."

"So that's where we're going!" exclaimed Dan.

“Exactly," Raiden continued. "But, for those of you who don't know, Shao Kahn lusts for power and will do anything to get it. He once had the power to merge all realms into one, but that is no longer possible since he has been weakened by those who had fought against him. With the medallion, he can do anything with it. This must be stopped before it's too late."

"But what does it have to do with the tournament?" asked Ryu.

"That is something you will know the moment you are introduced to the sorcerer, Shang Tsung."

"Who?" questioned Lei arching an eyebrow.

"He is a sorcerer who had lived for many years. He is able to maintain his youth by devouring the souls of fallen warriors. He will be hosting this tournament and I believe you will see him quite often throughout the tournament. In previous tournaments, he would possess the souls of those who lose, but under unknown circumstances, that will no longer be happening. Be careful, however, if you are ever near him. There are others, but I will be explaining them throughout your journey in Outworld."

"This is going to be one interesting vacation," said Yun.

"Indeed," Raiden answered. "There is one other thing. Once we get there, we will be meeting up with the psychic Rose, who I believe is gathering other warriors as well. I also have a place we will be staying at, away from the prying eyes of those who may join Shao Kahn's side. So, prepare yourselves, and good luck at the tournament."

With a streak of lightning, Raiden disappeared, leaving everyone slightly confused.

~~~

**The ship from San Francisco**

Everyone Rose had chosen gathered in the deepest part of the ship, away from those who could hear them. Rose explained to them of the medallion, the story behind it, and what they'll be facing in Outworld. Everyone listened without a single word until she was finished.

"I have one question," said Ken. "Why us? Why have we, amongst thousands in the universe, been chosen to defend it?"

Rose smirked a little. "Because each of you possess a good heart, despite your pasts and things that you've done. But that is also the point… all of you are still not over your past. Perhaps, your time in Outworld will help you get through."

"But I feel fine," said McCoy. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Maybe," Rose replied. "But you, Matthew, can be careless when it comes to it. You should not let your carelessness get to you."

McCoy only looked at her strangely.

"That does sound like you mate," replied Lita.

Rose looked at her then. "You, Lita Luwanda, can sometimes be careless as well. You like to jump into a situation without thinking through it. You need to be more careful." Lita stayed quiet then.

The psychic talked to each person then. "Keith Wolfman, you are a leader, but that can sometimes come over your head. Don't let that happen for it can lead to destruction. George Ginzu, a young boy, but growing up arrogantly due to your hacking abilities. Arrogance can lead to bad things. The four of you are the back bone for young Cammy, a once possessed Shadaloo doll who had lost her past because of it. You may not know everything, but live for today."

Cammy, like the rest of her team, stayed silent. Rose continued with the others. "Julia, don't not let the search of your adopted mother change who you are. Ken, you are another arrogant one, although you've become more humble since your younger days. Follow what I've said before to Ginzu, for that you have much to live for. Sonya, you have seen so much throughout your career, but don't let personal problems blind you. Nina, just because you are an assassin, doesn't mean you should not open up to those around you. Loneliness is not the good way of life. Nightwolf, you may be the purist of the group, but demons still haunt you at night. Do not let them take over. Guile, remember that vengeance is not everything and you should not have to put your family behind it. Wagner, the past was hard for you after the death of your parents, and now you have your sister to search for. Do not hide your pain behind wisecracks. Alex, your lack of willingness to share your problems will consume you if you let it. Don't try to bottle them up."

 _Damn it, I feel like I'm really pulling stuff out of my ass this time,_ the psychic thought.

Despite that, Rose then continued on to the last person in the group. "Kenshi… you have become much more humble since you lost your sight, but some of your arrogance from your earlier days still remains. It's also hard for you to open up to others. You may prefer to be alone, but do not close yourself off completely from the universe."

It was then that they felt the ship shake a bit forcing everyone out of their thoughts.

"What the hell is that?" asked Ken.

Rose looked out the ships circled window. The sky was swirling in a dark purple and Rose could have sworn some of them were shaped into skulls. She then realized what was going on…

"We are going through the portal to Outworld," she announced.


	11. Chapter Ten

Each ship from all the realms reached the rendezvous point where they would be transported through a portal to Outworld. Passengers who have never been to the realm looked on nervously as they were surrounded by a swirl of dark purple energy appearing in the sky. Some of the energy were shaped like human skulls, which would float around before dispersing.

Soon, a bright purple light hit them and when it disappeared, they found themselves in Outworld, sailing on the surprisingly clear water and along with hundreds of other ships from countless realms. Just a few miles ahead was what looked liked a large island waiting for them. The land was purple with some green from the forests there, the flat land being surrounded by high mountains in the distance. The sky above was a light purple, almost close to blue, with the sun shining above.

Outworld may look pretty, but many of the fighters knew that there was more behind it than it looked. Waiting on that land was The Blood Tournament. Beyond it was Outworld's Emperor Shao Kahn and many evil things that could occur there.

It was another half hour before the ships reached a group small boats waiting to sail the fighters to the land. They got off the ships by roped ladders and filled up the small ships before sailing closer to their destination. Another half hour passed before they finally reached the land.

Raiden got off the boat and placed his feet on the white sand, as did others. He walked a few feet onto the land before he began to look around for the woman he was to meet up with, the soul psychic Rose. Luckily, it didn't take that long because he soon spotted a woman with wild purple hair. He walked up to her then.

"Greetings Rose," he stated.

Rose turned around to face the Thunder God. She stood there for a moment without a word before proceeding. "Hello. How may I help you?"

"I'm the God of Thunder, Lord Raiden. I'm sure you've heard about me, have you?"

"I have," Rose replied. "Then you would know the real story of _Chishio No Me._ "

"Which is why I've come to you. The Elder Gods have suggested to me that I'd meet with you, the wielder of the power of soul. With the possible peril that will come out of this tournament, we can combine our strength to combat our adversaries. Will you join me?"

"Of course," Rose answered without hesitating. "With our alliance, we have a better chance to beat this." At that moment, their groups gathered by them. Rose smirked a little. "Seems that we do have the same idea."

Raiden nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Now, it seems that we'll be heading to the dining quarters for dinner before we head to our settlements. I have a suggested place, away from those who could join Shao Kahn."

"That's good to know," Rose agreed. "In that case, let us head out."

The large group began walking. At that moment, Ryu and Ken noticed each other from their own groups.

"There you are!" called out Ken as he walked up to his long-time friend. They tapped their fists together, their traditional greeting, as they walked along with the two groups.

"What brings you here old friend?" Ryu asked with a rare smirk.

"The competition of course," Ken replied. "And I'm sure you are here to be the best?"

Ryu nodded. “Of course.”

"Well, this is a new place we'll be fighting in, along with the best in not only Earth, but all the realms," Ken continued. "It's going to be one hell of a competition."

"And I look forward to it," Ryu said.

Nearby, Queen Sindel and Princess Kitana followed Jade down the pathway marked with red and gold sashimono flags, which would lead them to the dining quarters. Sindel looked around the area, having it been years since she was last in this realm.

Kitana looked at her mother then, noticing the worried expression on her face. "Mother, are you all right?"

Sindel shook the thoughts out of her head upon hearing her daughter's voice and looked at her with her colorless eyes. "I'll be fine dear. It's just that I've almost forgotten what this place was like."

"It'll be all right my Queen," replied Jade. "At least we are here for good reasons."

The Queen nodded in agreement, but she still had the worried expression on her face.

Meanwhile from near where the fighters of Keisei were, Cassandra looked around the area that was called Outworld. As much as she wanted to do this for her sister, the young fighter realized, during their entry into the realm, that she wasn't so sure about this tournament. She had thought that they would be someplace on a small island in Keisei, or possibly Earth, but never this realm.

 _I hope I can get through this,_ Cassandra thought.

Nearby, Kilik, Xianghua, and Maxi got off the boat and onto land. All three looked up at the high mountains before them. Mountains existed in Keisei, of course, but the height had been beyond their imaginations.

"Interesting realm," said Maxi.

"Yeah," replied Xianghua, half daydreaming as she admired the view.

Kilik looked straight ahead then and scanned the area. Although there were a few strange characters who lived in Keisei, there were even more of them, obviously from different realms. They were different colors, shapes, and forms, some with multiple joints or body parts, some with countless horns, things that Kilik never would've thought of beyond his imagination.

"Shall we continue forward?" asked Maxi as he too noticed the strange characters.

Xianghua and Kilik nodded slowly and the trio began their walk.

Seong Mi-na was on one of the last boats that landed in Outworld. Not much thought came to her mind, but she realized that wherever she was, it was something completely new to her.

What was surprising, however, were the ships that were here when they went through the portal. Mi-na realized that something was going on. She looked at the armored-clad man next to him.

"Excuse me," she said. "Where are we?"

The man only looked at her, then turned around, ignoring her completely. Mina sighed to herself. 'Some help I just got.'

She stayed silent until the boat landed. Mi-na grabbed her belongings before getting off and following the people around her. She was only half paying attention because then she bumped into someone. Mi-na knew that the person was only standing.

"Watch where you're going you-" the young woman began to say, but when she looked up, a familiar figure was looking at her, his arms folded and didn't look quite happy.

It was Hwang, Mi-na's childhood friend. At first, she was almost happy that he was here... at least she wouldn't be alone in a strange place. However, because of the fact that he had followed her here only because of his duty as a Coast Guard, anger filled her up just as quickly.

"Hwang!" she yelled out. "Why did you follow me here?"

"Do you know how much trouble we went through just to find you?" Hwang replied trying to keep his voice from going loud. "And now look what you did! You and I are trapped here and we're going to be here for quite a while!"

Despite their height differences, Mi-na practically went right up to his face. "Well it's not my fault you got yourself into this mess! If it makes you happy, I don't even know where we are!"

"We're in Outworld," Hwang replied. "And there will be a tournament going on here! There's no way we can leave until it's over, and who knows when that will be!"

Deep inside, excitement came upon the young woman. A tournament, eh? This may be interesting after all.

Despite that, Mi-na was still angry with Hwang. "I know that you have a duty, but for you to go out of your way to follow me here… do you realize how betrayed I feel? We've known each other since we were kids. You were the only boy who treated me for who I really am, not because of my gender. Maybe I was wrong about you after all."

Mi-na began to walk past Hwang, but he grabbed her arm then, stopping her in her tracks. "Please Mi-na," he said. "Don't be angry with me. And besides, since we both don't know anyone else here, we might as well stick together. So, we're going to have to put our current situation behind us until we get out of here."

As angry as she was, Mi-na realized that her childhood friend was right. She pulled her arm away from him and turned to face him. "Where do we go from here then?" she asked calmly.

Hwang looked around then. "I guess we follow everyone else."

Mi-na nodded and they began to follow.

All of the fighters soon arrived in a large palace-like place and into the large dining quarters on the first floor. Aside from the low cherry wood polished tables, the red floored cushioned chairs, and the green plants, everything around was in gold.

On the tables, only bread and glasses of water were being served for now. The fighters gathered around the tables and sat down low to the floor on the provided cushions. That's with the exception of Raiden, who did not want to be noticed right away. He left his group in Rose's attendance and hid behind the walls, looking through a small window far from the main entrance.

Chun Li sat down and looked around the area. "I wonder what kind of food they will be serving."

"Something I hope is eatable by sight alone," answered Lei. “Or already dead.”

"You're telling me," said Wagner taking a bit of the roll he hand in his hand.

Guile sighed a bit and looked at Chun Li. "I'm glad we were able to meet up here."

"Same here," said Chun Li. "It's good to work with you again."

Across from them, Guy, Cody, and Maki ate their bread. As they did, Guy looked at Maki. "Why did you come?" he asked.

Maki sighed to herself. "Well, first off, I thought it was unfair that you left without saying goodbye, plus Cody showed up for the first time in ages and you didn't bother to mention him either. Second, I think I'm capable of fighting just as well as you two. Everyone else in the dojo I understand since half of them are novices, but I've been with the Bushin clan for _years,_ I mean, since childhood for crying out loud!”

Cody sighed a bit. "She does make a good point, Guy."

Guy closed his eyes for a moment before looking at Maki again. "You just be careful. Who knows what this tournament is about."

Just then, drums began to play as servants began to serve the food. Those not used to it were in shock by the quality and quantity of the various different foods, especially the very large chickens, which were served to each table. Once everything was placed down, the fighters began digging in.

Those near Ryu looked at him in shock as he placed large quantity of food on his plate before he began to chow down. After a few bites, he looked up and noticed the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "What?" he asked. Then, everyone quickly resumed to their dinner.

Mika, who was sitting next to Ryu, looked over at him. She decided to try to start up a conversation then. "So, um, you got yourself a bit appetite there, that's cool."

Ryu finished chewing on his mashed potatoes before looked at the pro wrestler. "I travel a lot and I don't really get to eat all this good stuff. I consider it a blessing."

Mika chuckled a little. "I'm the same, especially since I wrestle."

Ryu nodded as he continued eating.

Sonya took a few bites from her carrots before turning to Alex, who was sitting next to her eating her own food. "Alex, I'm sorry about before back on the ship."

The younger agent looked at Sonya with surprise as she swallowed. "Why do you have to be sorry? It should be me, I violated orders."

"I know," the blonde Lieutenant said. "I guess I overreacted, even when Nightwolf vouched for you... not that I didn't believe you or anything. You're a good soldier, and I shouldn't have left you out of this mission."

Alex nodded. "Apology accepted."

“I'm just not sure what the General will think about you going missing, but whatever happens, I'll talk to him about it when we get back to Earth.”

“I appreciate it, Captain.”

The drums became louder then. Robed figures entered the dining quarters, all gliding rather than walking.

"Wait a second!" cried out Asuka. "One of them must've gave us the invitation!"

"I think they all did," replied Ryu.

Ken looked at him in horror. "You're telling me that one of _them_ put the envelope in my mailbox?"

The figures assembled themselves on a platform in front of the tables. Just then, a figure entered the room and walked over to the throne on the platform. He wore a similar robe as the floating figures, but it was black and he walked normally. When he was in front of his throne, the drums stopped making the room silent as everyone there awaited what he was about to say.

Next to Alex, she heard a grunt to her right. Turning her head, she didn't miss the fact that Kenshi's fists had clenched on top of the table. Gazing up at his face, she noticed his grim expression even with the crimson blindfold covering his eyes.

“What's wrong?” she asked him.

Kenshi took a deep breath before answering, not bothering to turn his head to her. “It's nothing... don't worry about it.”

Realizing that he didn't want to talk about it, Alex remained silent as she turned her head to the stranger who just entered the room.

"Greetings," the stranger called out once the beating drums ceased. "And welcome to The Blood Tournament here in Outworld. My name is Shang Tsung, and these are my Shadow Priests. I am the host of the tournament."

Many of those who knew the name glared at him. Those who were assigned after him made mental notes to themselves. Those with vengeance tried to control their rage. It also confirmed the rumor of him being the tournament's host after all.

Shang Tsung looked around the room before he continued. "I am honored that you all could be here. You are all great warriors and deserve to be here for this tournament. Each and every one of you are the best of the best. You've come from every realm that exist to compete. Many challenges await, but only one of you will be the champion of The Blood Tournament. With that, comes the prize."

The sorcerer went through the pocket of his robe before pulling out a golden object and held it up for everyone to see just as the red tear began within began to glow. Many gasps and whispers could be heard throughout the room. Shang Tsung smirked in delight by the reactions.

"Many of you may know this artifact," he continued. "But for those who don't know, this is called _Chishio No Me,_ or The Bloody Eye. It is a medallion with all the power in the world. It has the ability to grant whatever you desire, no matter what it is. If you are the champion of this tournament… it will be all yours."

Everyone stared at the medallion, unsure of what to think. Many thoughts played in each fighter's mind, whether it was of greed, fear, vengeance, or the many things they could do with the power they could receive.

"The tournament begins in two days. Those without invitations or those who were given invitations by allies, go to the left. Those who were meant to be here, go to your right."

The fighters followed. Princess Kitana got herself up and as she did, she noticed a blond man in armor walking past her. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion as she realized how handsome he was. The figure noticed her as well and briefly looked at her before continuing forward. Unknown to Kitana, Sindel was also looking at him, intrigued by his looks.

It was the first time that Kitana felt something, but by the time she realized it, the stranger disappeared within the crowd.

~~~

**Deep Underground of Outworld later that night.**

Sitting on a large throne in a darken room (despite the many lit candles along the walls), Shao Kahn looked at his minions, Shadow Priests, guards, servants, and army, who waited for him to speak. The Emperor stared at each of them through his skull mask.

"The time has come," the Emperor announced. "The fighters are here to compete in my tournament. You are all here to make sure our plans go smoothly. With that, I want to introduce you to two new allies of ours, ones who I believe will make great benefits to our cause."

Shao Kahn walked over to a large figure nearby. He was partially covered in black garments, some parts consisting of spikes. His skin was of a light brown with pale eyes, the lower part of his face covered with a mask. What was most disturbing was the face that his heart was _outside_ his body and beating rhythmically, the noise being heard all around the room. The other large figure was a green figure, wearing gold garments and a matching helmet, his red eyes glowing from underneath.

"This are the golem Astaroth," the Emperor announced. "He will be used for any emergencies that come along."

"My lord," said Quan Chi. "You had mentioned that there were two of them. Where is the second one?"

Shao Kahn only let out a hardly-heard chuckle. Suddenly, a loud growl could be heard around the room, making everyone in the room nervous. The large door to the room opened where two servants pulled out a large wheeled cage. In the cage, a large zombie-like creature shook on the bars in a rage that no one in that room could ever imagine and he let out an ear-piercing roar. Tension rose in the room then.

"This is Berserk," the Emperor mentioned. "As you can tell, he will make a great addition to our army."

Shao Kahn walked over to the cage just as Berserk ripped the bars off and threw them across the room. Everyone got out of the way and backed away in fear. The monster jumped out of his cage and grabbed a hold of one of the servants who screamed for mercy. In an instant with no effort, he ripped the servant into two pieces, then threw him over where he had thrown the cage with blood spray practically everywhere.

Right after, Shao Kahn took out the medallion, and placed it in front of Berserk. The red tear glowed and at that moment, Berserk calmed down and stared at the Emperor.

"Very good," said Shao Kahn having complete control over the deranged monster. "You will serve me and only me. You will call me master."

"M, master…" Berserk muttered.

Shao Kahn then looked over at everyone else. "Berserk's pleasure is to torture until you are dead. If any of you defy me, you will be thrown in the same cage that he will be in."

Everyone kept even more silent then, scared out of their wits. Shao Khan took the delight in knowing that his was in full control of everything.

In the shadows unknown to anyone, Ivy Valentine watched the situation unfold. She mainly stared at the medallion the Emperor held in his hand.

 _So it's true,_ the swordswoman thought. _The medallion has been found._

She would make her appearance known to the Emperor soon.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Not long after dinner was over and the registrations were made, Raiden, Rose, and the rest of Earth's chosen warriors departed from the dining quarters as a group. Many of the other warriors who will be heading to their assigned rooms within the palace. However, the Thunder God had other plans in mind…

"...A cave?" Cammy grumbled out as soon as they saw where they were staying.

Raiden sighed, having the feeling previously that everyone was going to react like that. "As much as you all would've enjoyed the luxuries of the palace, this is best for all of you since you are the chosen ones for this tournament. That way, Shao Kahn and his allies will not be able to easily detect any plans we will be discussing in the future."

It seemed to make sense for the chosen ones now. However, the fact that they will be staying in a cave wasn't exactly what most of the fighters had in mind.

"So," said Guile. "What will be provided for us in this… cave?"

"Well," Raiden replied. "Before you all met me, I had already prepared the cave for your arrival. The walls are lit with oil candles, which need to be changed every few days. Each of you will also have your own room, all covered by heavy velvet curtains for privacy. In the back of the cave is sort of what you would call a lounge room. I have also already prepared food and water supply and it should last us a few days."

"Good to know," said Yun. "But please tell me this cave has a plumbing system."

Raiden paused for a brief moment before answering. "Actually, your 'toilets' are out here."

"You're telling us that we have to go to the bathroom outside?" asked a not-so-happy Lita. "And I assume we'll be taking baths in lava?"

"Actually, there are hot springs about a half a mile from here in the forest. The palace also have indoor bath houses, but I recommend the ones in the forest since less people will be going there."

"Um, great," said Lei without much enthusiasm.

The whole time, Rose stood there and stared at Raiden. Although they had united to stop evil from emerging, she was getting the feeling that Raiden was starting to take over the show rather than the both of them working together to make this all work, especially when he didn't bother to ask for her input during the meeting. She planned on talking to him once things were settled in the cave.

Later, the warriors were either sleeping, training, or just hanging out. Wagner, Guile, and Sonya were walking along the shorelines of a small beach, grateful that it was clear water rolling over their feet rather than lava. They were only about a five minute walk from the cave, which was surrounded by many trees. Only a few of their new allies were training there, but other than that, the area seemed pretty quiet.

"This place is not so bad once you get used to it," mentioned Wagner.

"That's true," Sonya replied. "It could've been worse I suppose... we could've been staying in the caves of the Netherrealm instead."

"Too bad we're sleeping on military cots, but that's nothing new to us," said Guile.

There was a pause between the three of them before Sonya spoke up. "So, when will we be discussing plans?"

"As soon as we get the word from Raiden. Speaking of which, I should go back inside and review the files we received before our departure. I'll catch up with the two of you later."

With that, the Air Force Colonel began his walk back to the cave leaving Wagner and Sonya alone. It wasn't long after that Sonya began another conversation. "So, how long have you and Guile known each other?"

"Since I was fifteen," Wagner answered after a brief pause. "I was just a delinquent then and building up my own kind of 'record,' but I was lucky he came along. I wasn't sure where I was going with my life, but he showed me things that I had missed since the day I became an orphan. Pretty much, he's been like a father to me."

A faint frown appeared on the blonde woman's face. She was never an orphan herself, but she had seen these cases plenty of times during her years in Special Forces.

From there, Sonya decided to change the subject. "I'm assuming this is your first time in Outworld."

"Yeah. It's a pretty strange place, but I might as well get used to it since we'll be here for a while. It does give me time to think through my agendas."

"What kind of agendas?" Sonya asked curiously.

Wagner sighed quietly. He realized was going to be around this woman for a while and she would eventually learn of his current agenda whether through him or Guile. He motioned her to sit next to him on the white sand before proceeding.

"It's a pretty long story actually, but I'll try to make it short. For a decade, I had thought that my family was dead, murdered by Shadaloo's leader. It was only after a rescue mission this past winter, ironically on the ten year anniversary of my family's murder, that I discovered that my older sister, Lisa, was alive. However, she wasn't the Lisa I knew when I was a kid…she became a Shadaloo doll. I was too injured to rescue her then, but ever since I've been on a mission to save her, even if it cost me my life. Since then, I call my mission Operation: Lisa.

"I did help to accomplish the rescue of another Shadaloo doll along with Cammy, Guile, and Chun Li not too long ago. All I know about her was that her name was Juni and the German government had her on their missing list for years. I helped return her there and, last I heard, she was training for the German military.

"Since the destruction of Shadaloo, all the dolls had been freed with the exception of one. It was rumored that this particular doll was taken by a former Shadaloo recruit and now they are in hiding. I believe Lisa's the one since there have been no reports of finding her."

Sonya sighed sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that Wagner. I really don't know what to say…"

"There's nothing to say," Wagner replied. "But there is something I should mention. When Guile and I first met you and Kenshi, you had mentioned that there were former Shadaloo recruits who could be at this tournament. I have a feeling that Lisa may be here with the one who took her. If anything, please look out for a young blonde woman who could be near a former Shadaloo recruit."

The Captain nodded. "I can do that."

Not too far from them, Mika, Asuka, Ibuki, and Sakura sat on the edge of the woods looking over at the clear water and white sand in front of them. The four of them had just finished sparring and decided to relax for a while.

Mika took off her boots and partially dug her feet into the sand. "Wow, if I had known that there was a beach near us, I would've brought my bikini."

"Me too," said Sakura. "Speaking of bringing something, I brought over my portable karaoke machine with me."

Asuka looked at the young school girl oddly. "So was that why your one bag was heavy?"

"Exactly."

"That'd be fun!" exclaimed Ibuki. "At least it's something more we can do while we're here."

That's when they noticed Maki walking along the shoreline. The female bushin ninja had a blank expression on her face as she looked out towards the large body of water, clearly unsure of what to do with herself since arriving here.

"Hi there!" called out Asuka. Maki blinked, shook out of her daze, and then looked over at the four girls, all of them with smiles on their faces.

"Um, hi," Maki replied feeling a bit surprised.

"Aren't you in the cave with us?" questioned Ibuki.

"Yes, I am."

"Cool," said Mika. "Since we're all going to be here for a while, why don't you join us."

A small smile appeared on Maki's face. "Sure," she said as she sat down with the small group. They all introduced themselves to one another. "Did you girls see Shang Tsung at dinner tonight?" the ninja suddenly asked. "Putting it lightly, he was quite hideous."

All four girls stuck their tongues out in disgust. "Ew, I so agree," answered Mika.

"Say," Ibuki said. "Rather than talking about not-so-good-looking guys, why don't we talk about some of the good-looking guys here."

"You know I have my eyes on Ryu!" cried out Sakura.

"He is pretty cute," said Mika half day-dreaming.

"Speaking of Ryu," Sakura said standing up. "I was watching him practice today and I learned a new move. Wanna see?"

"Sure," said Asuka.

With that, Sakura got into her fighting stance. She stood there for a brief moment before she quickly performed the move. She had jumped when she did, but when the school girl landed back, she ended up stumbling backwards. A male figure had been passing by behind her and the two ended up crashing into each other and stumbled into the sand. All the girls giggled until the figure stood up. They recognized him as Jin Kazama and with the exception of Asuka, all the girls' jaws dropped at the sight of him.

Sakura had the same look on her face when she met Jin's face. Jin put a hand out to help her up. Sakura took his hand and pulled herself up. "Sorry about that," she said blushing.

A small smirk appeared on Jin's face. "That's all right. Just be careful next time." And with that, Jin began heading back towards the cave. Sakura looked on until he was no longer in sight.

Asuka huffed a bit. "He's all right, but I'm pretty sure he's not that special. Besides Sakura, what happened to Ryu?"

Sakura slowly looked over at her friend. "Huh?"

In the cave, Rose realized that the chosen ones were off doing their own things. When she saw that Raiden was setting up the 'living room' of the cave, she decided that it was the best time to approach him. The psychic began making her way towards the thunder God as he placed a low table in the middle of the room.

"Good evening Rose," Raiden suddenly said. Rose was almost surprised that he knew that she was in the room. Then she remembered the fact that he was a God and mentally slapped herself.

"Good evening," the purple-haired woman replied. "Do you have a moment?"

A pause came between them before Raiden stood up. "Sure. What can I do for you?"

Rose sighed a little. "Well, I'm going to be honest with you. Now, I understand that secluding ourselves from outsiders was necessary, especially if we were near someone who was working with Shao Kahn. The thing is, could've we have picked something else other than a cave?"

Raiden stared at her then. "I understand your concern, but unfortunately, this was the only option we had. I had taken the time to set up the rooms before meeting with the mortals."

"So there was no way we could've got a secluded area with the palace area?"

"It's too risky. I am aware that not everyone is going to agree with staying there, but what they must understand is that we must give up a few things in order to accomplish what must be done."

"I'm still not into the idea," Rose replied.

At that point, Raiden began to feel a bit frustrated. A small amount of lightning appeared in his pale eyes, but it didn't seem to emotionally affect Rose. "I assume you did not do your homework on Outworld."

"Of course I did. I'm psychic remember?"

"Yeah and I'm a God." Then Raiden chuckled. "Oh wait, I already am."

A bit of anger filled Rose right there. "Is this all a joke to you?"

"Of course not! Excuse me if I have a sense of humor! As the mortals say, it's a coping mechanism!"

"You and I are both the leaders of the group! The least you can do is try to act like an adult!"

"Since when did _I_ start acting like a child?"

That's when Yun entered the room. "Excuse me guys-"

"GET OUT!" the thunder God and the psychic cried out at once. The volume of their voice nearly scared the life out of Yun and he ran straight back to his room.

Yin had just reached his room seeing the fear on her brother's face. "Yun, what did you do this time?"

"Nothing!" cried Yun. "I was only trying to ask Raiden and Rose if they had change for a dollar!"

Yin cocked an eyebrow. "What do you need change for?"

"Well, I figured that they had vending machines in the palace-"

"THERE ARE NO VENDING MACHINES IN OUTWORLD!" Raiden cried out from where he was, scaring Yun again.

"This is going to be an interesting tournament I bet," Yun sighed tipping his blue and yellow cap over his face.

Outside of the cave, Xianghua, Kilik, and Maxi decided to take a walk around the area to get a glimpse of the area they will be staying at for a while. They had not checked into their rooms in the palace yet so they were still carrying their bags along the way.

Xianghua looked up into the sky. "You know, once you get used to it, it's not so bad. It's a pretty unique place with the purple sky, the purple ground, the white sand, and the trees-"

"Well, I can understand the sky and ground," replied Maxi. "But you do realize that Keisei also has green trees and white sand."

"Of course I do!" the young woman exclaimed.

"But it makes me wonder," Maxi continued. "Is this planet in the same galaxy as Keisei, or are we in a totally different galaxy that we never knew of?"

"I guess we could ask an Outworld native, if we ever meet one," said Kilik.

"Hey, look over there," Maxi suddenly said.

Kilik and Xianghua looked at where Maxi was pointing. They saw a group of people ahead of them. Some were meditating, some were sparring, and others were relaxing.

"Well this is interesting," said Xianghua. "I would've more expected two or three people here, but not more than ten."

"Maybe it's something special," Maxi mentioned. "Let's ask one of them." He began to walk forward before his friends could say anything else. With that, they followed him.

The older of the trio immediately noticed a young woman sitting under one of the trees reading a novel. He walked up to her then. "What are you reading there?"

The young woman looked up at him through her red-rimmed glasses. "It's just a book with a large collection of poetry. Do you like poetry?"

Maxi sighed a bit. "To be honest, not really... not that I don't appreciate the art form or anything, but it's just not for me. Anyway, my name is Maxi." He put his hand out then for a handshake.

"Julia Chang," the woman replied shaking his hand.

Suddenly, Xianghua jumped forward and put her hand out. As she did, she ended up bumping into Maxi making him fall sideways. "Hi there, I'm Xianghua. My friend wasn't trying to hit on you, was he?" With that, she shifted her eyes and gave a quick glare at Maxi, who was obviously very confused by his female friend's sudden reaction.

Julia only laughed at what Xianghua said as they shook hands. "It's all right, he was being a gentleman." She then looked up at Kilik then. "Hi there."

Kilik smirked and introduced himself then, shaking her hand. "Actually, we noticed the group behind you and we were curious to know what was going on."

"Ah, I see." Julia stood up then. "Well, to be honest, it's kind of a secret, but let's just say we've all been chosen for this mission."

"A mission eh?" Maxi said interested. "What kind of mission?"

"Maxi!" exclaimed Xianghua. “She said it was a secret!”

Julia laughed a little. "Well, if you like, why don't you follow me and I can introduce you to our leaders. They may decide to recruit you if possible."

"Sure," said Kilik. Maxi and Xianghua nodded with agreement. With that, the three followed Julia into the cave.

"Raiden! Rose!" Julia called out. "Where are you guys?"

That's when the four of them could hear two people arguing not too far. They ran over to the back of the cave and saw Raiden and Rose arguing to the point where no one could make out what they were saying.

Kilik could've sworn he felt a bead of sweat drip down his forehead. "Are those the leaders?"

Julia sighed. "Yeah…"

Meanwhile, Alex decided to take a walk around a rocky area after completing some paper work Sonya threw at her after their settlement in the cave. After some walking, she decided to sit on one of the large boulders on the ground and sat down.

The young agent didn't mind the fact that they were staying in the cave. It was something she has done before, including sleeping on military cots in complete darkness. But the fact that her only garments were the ones on her back, she wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Other than her gun, extra bullets, and her car keys, she had nothing else with her. Luckily, Sonya offered her shirts and Rose would take the time to find other garments for her in the meantime.

It wasn't her fault though. She was only out to protect her comrades. _They would have know they were being followed eventually,_ she thought. _Silly of me to think otherwise, I suppose..._

She was signed up as a late challenger, but she was ready to go. Aside from military martial arts, Alex also knew _kajukenbo,_ a style made for street fighting, and something she was glad that she learned on the side.

As she continued her thoughts, the agent suddenly felt a presence nearby. She turned herself around, but no one was there. Alex always trusted her instinct and decided to investigate. She got herself up and slowly walked around scanning the area.

Suddenly, as Alex passed a big tree, a young woman wearing purple suddenly jumped in front of her. "Hello!" she cried out.

Surprised by the sudden greeting, Alex let out a small yelp and fell back. After that, she looked up and saw a woman a few years younger than her smile down at her. "Uh, sorry to scare you,” she said.

"Um, hi here," the agent managed to reply as she got herself up.

“You don't look like you're from around here. I'm Li Mei.”

Alex was almost hesitant, but then decided to answer. "I'm Alex. I'm from Earthrealm."

“Earthrealm? I've heard of it before, wow I'm glad I ran into you then, what are you doing here?”

It took a moment for Alex to catch up with what Li Mei was saying considering her run-on sentences. She also caught the fact that the young woman seemed nervous for some reason, so she talked as calmly as possible. “I'm here to attend the upcoming Blood Tournament.”

"Oh yes, I heard about that, I wonder if there's a way I can join up. You see, even though I live here in Outworld, I hate Shao Kahn and his Outworld Forces, his minions enslaved my village and I'm out to save my people from enslavement."

Alex felt a bit of sorrow then and she began to realize why the Outworld native seemed nervous... after all, somehow, she had managed to escape her enslaved village. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's all right, I know everything will be all right, I just have to keep a positive attitude, that's what my grandfather keeps telling me.”

"If you still want to join up in the tournament, I can see if I can help you with that,” Alex suggested.

Li Mei quickly nodded, her green eyes widening a bit. “That sounds good, then I can keep my promise to my people, I really do hope I can help them, it's really been a long few weeks and-”

With the run-on sentences, Alex gave up on listening to Li Mei but still let her continue talking. Instead, she let Li Mei follow her while staying quiet.

Nearby the cave, Ryu and Ken had just finished their sparring session and were just standing around drinking their own bottle of water. "So, wasn't that travel freaky or what?" asked Ken. "Especially when we went through that supposed portal?"

"Yeah, it was," replied Ryu. "But for some strange reason, I was kind of expecting that."

"I do wonder," Ken continued. "Did it happen where every single ship from every realm suddenly went through that portal at the same time?"

Ryu shrugged a little. "It seemed like it, but I guess only those from Outworld know the truth."

"Yeah, this is a strange place."

With that, the Japanese warrior decided to change the subject. "How did Eliza take it?"

Ken sighed. "Well, it was obvious that she wasn't too happy about it. I promised her that this would be the last time I would attend a tournament for a while, then we would go on our cruise afterwards."

Ryu cocked an eyebrow. "Were you serious about not going to any more tournaments after this one for a while?"

"I don't know," Ken shrugged. "However, I do know that there will eventually be a day when I retire from fighting. Then again, I'm only thirty years old. I don't really see retirement coming up just yet."

"Hey guys!" called out a female voice nearby. Ryu and Ken turned around and noticed the familiar Interpol agent coming on to them.

"Hey Chun Li!" Ken called out smiling. "Ryu didn't mention you were here."

"Well, at least I know you're here. How is everything?" Chun Li asked.

"Pretty good. How about you?" the millionaire replied.

Chun Li shrugged. "Well, as you know, Shadaloo's pretty much history, aside from the few minions who got away."

"I heard about that," Ken answered. "Do you have any idea who took care of Bison?"

"We're not sure. Our files are really sketchy at the moment." Chun Li then looked at Ryu. "How are you doing Ryu?"

"Pretty decent, everything's still the same with me. I haven't seen you since the last Street Fighter tournament."

"Didn't seem that long ago," said Ken.

"I know," Chun Li agreed. "Unfortunately, the tournament was forfeited under unknown circumstances. I still wish I faced you Ryu so then we all could've confronted Bison."

Ken cleared his throat. "Honestly, if anyone could beat Ryu, it would be me."

"I could beat him just as well as you could," chuckled Chun Li.

Suddenly, they heard a scream and objects being thrown inside the cave. The three looked at each other before running into the cave. When they reached near the end, they met with Julia along with Xianghua, Kilik, and Maxi.

"What's going on?" asked Chun Li.

Her answer was given suddenly when a coffee mug got thrown at them. All seven mortals ducked to avoid getting hit and the mug instead crashed on to the ground. They then looked up to watch the continuing 'argument' between their 'leaders.'

"And what is with that stupid hat anyways!" cried out Rose.

"It's called a rice harvester for your information!" Raiden yelled. "And why do you have a camel's toe?"

The seven mortals' jaws dropped in shock over that statement as Rose's face turned beet red, obviously very pissed by Raiden's joke. "YOU MAKE ME SO ANGRY! What was I thinking when I teamed up with YOU?!"

Suddenly, Raiden let a bolt of lighting out not at Rose, but at the feet of their witnesses.

"RUN!" Maxi screamed out as the seven of them made a dash for it.

~~~

_"You want to join me?" the Outworld Emperor asked. "Why?"_

_Shao Kahn looked down at the female figure before him. He was already impressed by the fact that the platinum-haired woman was kneeling on the ground before him, her head bowed down._

_Ivy Valentine had her plans made up in her mind. She already knew what she was going to say to the Emperor, but whatever was to come, she would realize whether she would be telling the truth or a lie to him then._

_"I believe in your cause," she said. "You are a powerful Emperor, a great leader to look up to. I have confidence that whatever you plan in the aftermath of the tournament will prevail. If you let me, I pledge my services to you and promise to not fail you."_

_For a moment, Shao Kahn stared down at Ivy. Many times has he gotten people pledging their services to him. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they end up as their servants._

_But he felt something different about this woman. He could sense her strong fighting spirit and the darkness that plagued inside of her. After some more mental analysis, he felt that she was indeed worthy of her services not as a servant, but as one of his main minions alongside fighters like Baraka and even Shang Tsung._

_"Rise!" Shao Kahn commanded. Immediately, Ivy stood up. As she did, he noticed the sword behind her, one he had never seen before. "You are a swordswoman, are you not?"_

_"I am," Ivy replied. "My name is Ivy Valentine, the adopted descendent of the Valentine family of the Britannian Empire in the realm of Keisei."_

_"The adopted daughter of Earl Valentine?" the Emperor questioned with interested. "This is indeed interesting. However, I do have one test, a test to prove that you will be loyal to me."_

_With that, the Emperor snapped his fingers. A single servant immediately entered the small light and bowed to Shao Kahn._

_Shao Kahn then nodded at Ivy. "Kill him quickly."_

_Horror suddenly came over the servant, but before he could react, Ivy had already taken her sword into her hand. She raised it above her before swinging it forward. The Emperor had expected her to easily decapitate the servant. Instead, the sword split into eight small pieces attached but a single one-inch thick string._

_Shao Kahn was surprised to see it and became much more interested by what was going to happen next. Ivy quickly wrapped the sword around the servant's neck. She kicked him then, sending him on all fours. This gave Ivy the opportunity to place her foot on her victim's back, slightly digging her heel into it. She then pulled him back towards her with her sword, tightening the hold on him._

_The servant tried to scream, but his oxygen was cut off at this point. Then, with a quickly jolt, Ivy managed to snap his neck, killing him instantly. She stood there for another moment before releasing her hold on him, letting his body fall like a rag doll. She then quickly threw her sword upward, returning her sword into one piece._

_Shao Kahn smiled under his skull mask. "Very impressive. You are indeed worthy of joining me."_

The scene flooded in Ivy's mind a little as she was given the tour of Shao Kahn's fortress. It was a very rare thing, but Shao Kahn himself was giving her the tour. It was only an hour ago that she pledged her services to him. Ivy knew her time here would take a while, at least until she got her hands on the medallion.

"This is the sleeping quarters," Shao Kahn said as they passed through a long hall. "We have an extra room for you just at the end of the hall. I am quite sure it will be to your likings."

Ivy nodded as she scanned the area. It was then that a yellow-clad woman walked out of her room, closing the door behind her. She turned and immediately saw Shao Kahn before her. In an instant, she got down on her knees and bowed to him.

"Rise Tanya," the Emperor commanded.

"Yes my Emperor," Tanya replied as she stood up.

"We have a newcomer joining us. This is Ivy."

Ivy and Tanya only glared at each other, a normal thing to happen around the lair. Tanya never took kindly to new people, especially if they were the same gender as she was. It was already bad enough that she had Mileena and Sheeva to deal with, but at least until now, she was the only 'normal' woman in the lair.

"I must return to continuing with our plans," Shao Kahn continued. "I will leave you two so you can take the time to be… acquainted." With that, the Emperor made his departure.

When he was out of sight, Tanya snorted. "So, suddenly, you think you're so special just because you're the new girl. None of us here take kindly to people like you, so don't expect much."

Suddenly, Tanya quickly found herself wrapped in Ivy's snake sword. The yellow-clad woman let out a yelp as she was pulled towards Ivy, an evil glare staring down at her. With her icy blue eyes, Ivy indeed looked deadly and it was the first time Tanya even felt tense by her presence.

"Every bitch who double crosses me ends up dead," Ivy whispered. "But since we are on the same side however, I'll let you be my lap dog until this is all over. Don't even think that I won't kill you if you object otherwise."

Throughout her long-life, being an Edenian native, Tanya always made the right choices, choices that would keep her alive. If she had to be at the mercy of another just to stay alive, she would. Tanya nodded then, letting Ivy know that she understood.

With that, Ivy let her go, dropping her to the ground. She smirked then. "Very good. I will meet with you in the morning." And with that, she left for her new quarters.

~~~

The night came. Everyone from the cave sat around a campfire that was lit to warm them up. The hall in the cave was too narrow for them to sit around so being outside was best for them. And with the previous heat between Raiden and Rose, Sub-Zero made an ice wall to separate the two.

Rose chose not to speak, since she actually agreed with what Raiden was going to announce that night.

"Mortals," he began. "First, I'd like to welcome four new mortals from Keisei and Outworld who will help us with our cause. They are Li Mei, Kilik, Xianghua, and Maxi. Secondly, The Blood Tournament is ready to go. Eight rounds have been constructed, so there will be many eliminations. Each round will expand a few days until every fight has been constructed.

"In the morning, you will receive notices which I will be delivering to you. You will see them pinned on your curtains. They will state your name, the place of your fight, and the time. They will not, however, state the fighter you will be fighting against until the time of your match.

"There are four locations where the tournaments will be… the Outdoor Arena, the Indoor Arena, the Courtyard, and the Underground Lair.

"The rules are quite simple. Firearms are not allowed in the tournament and you cannot kill your opponents, even if you have a vendetta against them. There are only two ways to lose the match. You must either be knocked out by your opponent, or thrown out of the ring. If both of your feet are out of the ring as you fight, you are automatically disqualified and your opponent wins the match. In an event where both fighters are out of the ring, whoever was out first or the furthest out will receive the disqualification. In an event where a fighter doesn't show up at the fight, the other fighter will be able to move on to the next round, unless another no-show occurs from another match.

"I hope that this information has helped you with what you can expect in the tournament. Once the tournament is officially over, depending on the circumstances of the aftermath, we will automatically have the access to return to our own worlds. I wish you the best of luck in the tournament, and may the best win."

With that, the fire in front of the mortals shot up three feet into the air. Everyone quickly got the signal from the fire… whatever was to come, it was all about to begin from there…


	13. Chapter Twelve

After what seemed like a long night, the morning finally came. The fighters in the tournament received their notices of when, where, and what time they were fighting. The only two mysteries to each of them were who they were going to fight that day, and whether or not they were going to make it to round two.

In the cave, the fighters there also got their notices. Earlier, Raiden and Rose, silently working together to avoid any more conflict, collected the mortals' cards and pinned one on each room's curtains for them to see when they woke up. Only three of the fighters in the cave were scheduled for a match today.

"Woo hoo!" cried out Cody holding up his card. "My match is this afternoon!"

"That's nice," replied Guy looking at his card. "I don't fight for another two days."

"That's too bad," said Maki holding her card. "Because I fight today as well. The best part is, the courtyard is near the beach area."

"Big deal, a beach is too generic... too bad that's where I'll be too," Cody mentioned. "But one thing is for sure, I bet we'll kick major butt today."

"I wonder who else is going to fight today?" Maki wondered.

Meanwhile in his room, Wagner was putting on his green tank top. His card indicated that he was going to be fighting in the indoor arena in about two hours. He had hoped that he would have another day or two before his time came, but his wish did not prevail. At least, however, he can get it over with for a while before the next round, if he won today.

Just as Wagner stood up and was about to grab his jeans to put over his boxers, a female voice was heard from behind the heavy velvet curtain. "Wagner, you there?"

He recognized it as Sonya's voice and since they already knew each other, he decided not to bother with putting his jeans on. "Come in!"

Sonya pulled the curtain sideways and stepped in. "Good morning. Did you get your card?"

"I did," Wagner answered. "I'm fighting in a couple of hours."

"Awesome. I won't be fighting today, so I'll be cheering you on at the sidelines."

"Cool."

"Oh by the way," Sonya continued. "I believe that we'll be having a little group meeting tomorrow between your team, my team, Interpol, and the Delta Red team. I had the feeling that Delta Red would be joining us, but it's not anything official."

"That's all right, but I believe that the more help we get for this mission, the better," Wagner said.

"True. Anyway, good luck in your match today"

"Thanks."

Both of them started to turn around, but when Wagner did, he suddenly lost his footing and fell forward. As with any other person's normal instinct, he threw his hands out and when he did, he grabbed on to the side hems of Sonya's thin pajama pants. With the force of his fall, he ended up ripping the legs of the pants and completely shredding them into three pieces.

Sonya gasped as she heard the rip. "MY PANTS!" she cried out. She then saw Wagner's jeans laying on his cot. She kicked off her pants, grabbed them, and put them on before Wagner could even get up.

When he did, Wagner saw that Sonya was now wearing his best fighting jeans. "Hey, those are my-"

"Well, there's no way I was going to go out showing off my undergarments!" Sonya exclaimed. Then, briefly, she looked down at them, then a mischievous grin came upon her face. "You know, I like these, I think I'll wear them today." With that, she quickly left the room.

"Wait!" Wagner cried out, but then realized it was no use. Besides, she seemed like the type who would be dominate in a fight with a guy like him.

Then a thought came to him. _Damn, I really hope I don't have to fight anyone like her!_

With that, Wagner sighed and walked over to his suitcase to look for another pair of jeans. He pushed some of his clothes over to begin his search. After about a minute, he started to take his clothes out of his suitcase quickly.

 _I could've sworn I brought way more than that!_ he thought to himself.

Soon, he got to the bottom of the suitcase and only saw one piece of clothing left… a pair of blue sweatpants. Wagner took them out and instantly recognized them. He hadn't wore them since before he joined the Air Force. It was guaranteed that they weren't going to fit him, but other than the jeans that Sonya just took from him, what else could he wear?

 _I KNOW I brought my other jeans with me!_ Then a thought came to Wagner, thinking of a well-known friend on the base, a practical jokester to put it that way. _I'm so going to kill Randy when I get back!_

~~~

**Two Hours Later, Indoor Arena**

The indoor arena in the palace grounds was filled with a large ground along with four Shadow Priests in each corner of the ring. The entire room, including the ground, seats, even the ropes around the fifty yard round ring, were all made of gold. A few plants surrounded a throne-like chair, the chair that everyone knew belonged to Shang Tsung or whoever else was going to host the matches. Everyone else would be sitting on forty feet stadium seats which surrounded the ring. Those who were fighting that day in this particular arena were given the privilege to get a front view, if they like to, while everyone else sat further back.

People talked amongst themselves. Unfortunately for Wagner, he was trying to hide the fact that he was wearing his uncomfortable pants. The pants were indeed tight, but not tight enough that they were guaranteed to rip… yet. The ankles parts, unfortunately, were above his ankles, but he had the feeling that it would be the least of his worries. With him were Guile, Sonya (still wearing his jeans just to tease him), Cammy and her team. He recognized some of the other contenders from his cave, but none who he knew very well as of now.

Soon, drums were being played. Everyone expected Shang Tsung to arrive, but instead, a figure in a black robe _glided_ to the throne and stood in front of it. It would seem that Shang Tsung had not chosen to host the indoor arena's tournament for the day, but rather a Shadow Priest.

The Shadow Priest looked at everyone at the tournament. "Greetings. The Blood Tournament begins and will last until sunset tonight." It let silence ring through the air for a moment before continuing. "There are only two ways to defeat your opponent. They must either fall into unconsciousness or pushed completely out of the ring. If firearms are found, or you leave the ring with your own will, you will be automatically disqualified from the match as well as the tournament. If you kill your opponent, the match will be considered undetermined and you can no longer participate for the remainder of the tournament."

Another pause came by for a few moments. Finally, the moment the fighters have been waiting for came as the Priest called out the first fighter's name.

"Kira!" it called out.

Kira was surprised that she was going to fight the first of the series of matches that were going to take place, but that surprise soon passed just as quickly. She got herself up and walked to the middle of the ring with out much more thought. She knew that this part of the tournament was going to be the easy part because it was the first of many matches to come.

Soon, the Priest called her opponent's name. "Pandora!"

A tanned woman with long blue hair about her age stepped into the ring. She had her hair tied up in a high ponytail and wore a long sleeve white shirt that showed off her toned stomach. She also wore a white mini skirt with black stockings and white boots. In her hands were two silver batons with blue jewels on each end.

Kira smirked a little, realizing that Pandora was asking for a weapon combat. With that, the red-haired woman took out her two dragon teeth knives from her boots.

On the sidelines, Kabal and Havik, who wore a large hood over his head to conceal his face, watched as their ally got ready for her fight. Havik slightly peaked over at Kabal. "Are you sure she can do this? You had mentioned that she hasn't been with the Black Dragon very long."

Kabal nodded with confidence. "Do not worry yourself. Kira has proven herself worthy to be in the clan. I would not have brought her here with us if I had not believed in her."

"Good. We must continue with our plan for eternal chaos."

The Black Dragon leader nodded to his mentor in agreement.

As soon as the two women got into position, they both waited for the co-host's call. It seemed like forever before the Priest called out, "BEGIN!"

Both women raised their weapons up to their faces, then slowly circled around each other. Neither one of them took their eyes off of one another.

Finally, it was Pandora who made the first move. With only the sounds of her footsteps following, she ran towards Kira, then quickly brought her batons forward in hopes of hitting her opponent. However, Kira was quicker than she thought and the red-haired woman managed to block the incoming attack, the sounds of steal colliding with steal was heard around the room.

Back and forth this went on. It would seem that both women were quite even in their combat skills. Neither one of them weren't able to dominate the other just yet as their weapons continued to collide with one another.

Then, Pandora stepped back a couple of feet. Kira couldn't understand what that was all about. Never the less, she wasn't about to lose right now. But just before she could maneuver towards her, Pandora suddenly threw her left hand down towards the ground. At the last second, Kira noticed the small marble that came out of her opponent's hand, but before the female member of the Black Dragon could react, an explosion was heard, nearly startling those watching the battle.

Smoke immediately surrounded Kira, forcing her into a coughing frenzy. She tried to see through the smoke, but to no avail. The smoke was getting into her eyes forcing her to close them.

 _Damn it!_ she thought angrily.

Suddenly, Kira felt a hard kick to her back sending her flying out of the ring of smoke. She let out a small gasp in shock as she landed face first into the ground and losing her grip on her knives. The Black Dragon member quickly rolled onto her back just in time to see Pandora nearly flying out of the now disappearing smoke. When she was just above her, Kira immediately put both of her feet out at the last second and managed to land a blow just under Pandora's chin.

The pain shot through Pandora as though she was just hit by a truck. She yelped in pain as she lost her grip on her batons and fell back. Kira quickly got herself up then. She walked a few feet over to Pandora, then, with as much force as she can manage, brought her foot down to her stomach. Pandora screamed out in pain and quickly rolled away. Kira walked over to her once again and was about to land another blow with her foot, but then Pandora rolled out of the way again causing Kira to step on the ground instead.

With all the strength she had left, Pandora managed to quickly get herself up just as Kira was about to kick her. She blocked the incoming attack and soon the two exchanged various moves, with each woman blocking the other following up with an attack of their own, and so forth.

Finally, after about a minute, Kira managed to get the upper hand and landed a punch into Pandora's face. The small shock coming from her gave Kira the opportunity to be in control of the battle. She landed blow after blow into Pandora with each punch and kick she delivered. At one point, Kira noticed that her opponent was starting to bleed through her nose, but that only made the red-haired woman work in that area to send more pain into Pandora.

It was then that Kira noticed that the two of them were close to the edge of the ring. She remembered that one of the two ways to win the battle was to knock your opponent out of the ring. With that thought, Kira mentally smirked.

With a quick kick to the stomach, Pandora let out a small yelp and flew a few feet back and out of the ring before landing on to the ground. After a quick recovery, Pandora looked at Kira in anger while the red-haired woman smirked at her.

The Shadow Priest stood up then. "Winner: Kira!" It called out.

Those who watched clapped after the winner was announced. Pandora looked down on the ground in shame as Kira made her way out of the ring and back towards her allies Kabal and Havik.

"Well done Kira," Havik whispered so that no one around was to hear him. "I now see why Kabal views you as the greatest of the Black Dragon clan."

Kira kept her smirk as a reply to her leader's advisor.

Meanwhile, nearby, Wagner stretched his arms out. "Can't wait to see who fights next."

"It may be you, kid," replied Guile.

"Nah. I have the feeling that I won't be fighting for a while, knowing how impatient I can get."

After being silent for sometime, the Shadow Priest called out the next fighter. "Myra!" it called out.

A young human woman with long brown hair tied back into a braid stepped into the ring. She wore a red spaghetti-stringed tank top (which nearly didn't cover much), really short jeans, and sneakers. The fact that she was showing off caused most of the men in the audience to whistle at her. However, Myra was enjoying the attention and she replied by smiling and waving at everyone.

"She looks easy to beat," said Cammy. "Too bad I'm not fighting until tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Wagner who thought he was nearly drooling by the site of Myra. "However, seeing that so many men like her, I'm going to feel sorry for the one male to has to fight her…"

"Wagner!" the Shadow Priest suddenly called out.

Wagner paused for a moment before saying, "Oh good, I'm the lucky one." He got himself up and walked into the ring.

"You can do it!" Cammy called out as his allies cheered on for him.

The young Sergeant kept his eyes on Myra, as did she the same with him. He heard the small chuckles coming from the female audience and knew that it had to do with the bottom half of his attire. However, he ignored it. Once he was a few feet away from her, he got into a fighting stance.

Myra let out a small chuckle. "This will be easier than I thought," she said with a Hispanic accent as she got into a fighting stance.

"Don't expect it to be that easy," replied Wagner. "Now, normally I don't like to fight girls, I personally think it's disrespectful. However, if a girl, like yourself, really wants to fight, then let's go."

Once again, Myra chuckled. "I'm glad that I'll be fighting a respectful man then." She then slightly looked down. "My, aren't you a big boy."

Wagner was confused for a second by what she just said. That was until he noticed where she was eyeing him. _Stupid pants,_ he growled to himself.

However, Myra wasn't about to wait for the Shadow Priest to call out the start of the match. She quickly covered the few feet that was in between then and attempted to deliver a kick to Wagner's head. However, the military soldier managed to counter it just before he was hit.

The first minute of the fight consist of Myra on offense and Wagner on defense. During that time, Wagner noticed his opponent's dance-type moves and was mostly using her legs to deliver her move-sets. Soon, Wagner was able to grab her arm, turn her around, and got her in an arm lock, her back leaning onto his chest.

"Ah!" Myra cried out as she tried to get out of the lock. Wagner applied more pressure on the hold, but then Myra managed to kick back into his right shin. The pain that shot through him caused him to lose his grip on her arm.

The Sergeant held on to his leg, but still kept his eye on his opponent. He noticed the determination on Myra's face, then her stance. With her right arm and leg, she quickly bend her arm forward and brought her right leg across her left. Then, she spread them apart and repeated with her left arm and leg.

 _Capoeira,_ Wagner thought as he recognized the stance. Indeed he heard about the fighting style, but he never fought an opponent who used that style before.

While keeping her rhythm, Myra went straight back to Wagner. She attempted another kick to his shin, but he managed to block that as well. He then managed to grab her leg with both hands, but then Myra used her free leg, jumped off the ground with it, and landed a hard kick to his face. She landed back hands first as Wagner let out an 'oof!' and landed hard on his side.

Quickly, Myra managed to get herself on top of her opponent and pin his arms down. "You know," she whispered to him so that no one else could hear her. "Every time I look at you, I think you're getting bigger."

 _Oy,_ Wagner thought to himself while rolling his eyes. He knew that Myra was trying to distract him so that she was able to get the upper hand in the fight. He wasn't about to let that happen though.

With the widest grin he could muster, Wagner decided to play along and replied, "I really appreciate you admiring my good looks, beautiful."

The only response he got was a punch to the face, forcing his head to snap sideways. After a couple of more quickly punches, Wagner got back into his senses. He lifted his left foot up, placed it on Myra's stomach, and managed to push her off of him and sent her flying over and on to the ground over his head.

As the Sergeant got up, he realized that he almost fell for his opponent's mind games and felt anger with himself. With the anger coming in, yellow electric sparks began to cover his right hand.

Myra shook off the pain and sat up. She noticed Wagner's right hand and immediately got up.

" _Keiyou Handou!_ " Myra cried out. She lifted her leg and performed a roundhouse kick in the air. As she did, green energy surrounded her leg, and with that, a boomerang-shaped projectile came out from her shin and quickly headed towards Wagner.

Wagner saw the incoming projectile and dodged out of the way, as did the audience behind him. The green energy passed through the corner between the main throne and one set of the stadium seats. Luckily, the projectile missed everyone and everything and disappeared just before it could hit the wall.

 _Damn it!_ Myra cried out in her head, but before she could recover from that, Wagner managed to punch her. She felt the shocks from his arm going through her and she felt paralyzed. All she could do is prepare for Wagner's next move.

" _Rising Kick!_ " he called out. He jumped and performed two somersaults bringing himself and Myra about ten feet into the air.

Soon, Wagner landed safely back on the ground and Myra landed hard and falling into unconsciousness. After a brief moment, the Shadow Priest noticed that Myra wasn't getting up, so it got up itself from the throne.

"Winner: Wagner!" it called out. The audience clapped as it dawned on the Sergeant that he won the battle. He sighed to himself in relief and walked back to where his allies were.

"Great job, soldier!" Sonya cried out. Wagner only nodded as he sat back down.

"Hey," Cammy said with a smile. "I think she liked you."

"Uh huh," Wagner replied spitting his tongue out. It was then that he looked past her shoulder. For a brief moment, he noticed a female figure with shoulder-length blonde hair and wore a green attire. He couldn't make out the exact outfit because he was sitting down and everyone was blocking his view. He stood up, but by that time, she suddenly disappeared into the audience.

Cammy noticed the puzzled looked on her surrogate brother's face. "Is anything wrong?" she asked with concern.

Wagner heard her then. He quickly shook his head and sat back down. "I thought I saw someone… but it was just in my imagination…"

~~~

**Outdoor Courtyard**

Shang Tsung stood up from his throne as a fighter was quickly throne out of the ring. "Winner: Cody Travers!"

"Yeah!" Cody cried out in victory as the people around him clapped. However, the truth was that Cody was kind of disappointed by the results of his fight.

His opponent went by the name of Taint, who was a dhampir… half human, half vampire. Just by that status alone, Cody had thought that he was going to have a very worthy challenge. However, Taint only proved to Cody that he was nothing more than an amateur fighter.

It had to be under two minutes since the match began when Cody managed to throw him out of the ring with a _Criminal Uppercut_ (which created a small tornado that lifted Taint up and out of the ring). He had the feeling that those clapping were the ones who were very relieved that the boring fight was quickly over.

Cody sighed to himself and returned to where Guy was. Along with him was Maki who had Sakura, Asuka, Mika, and Ibuki with her.

"Yay Cody!" cried out Asuka.

"Um, thanks," Cody replied as he stood next to his best friend. He then whispered so only Guy could hear. "Did Maki have to bring her new friends with her."

Guy shrugged to that. "You know what, she needs some female friends during our time here anyway. I'm sure she gets sick of us after a while."

"Maybe," Cody replied with a shrug just as Shang Tsung began to speak again.

"The next battle shall begin," the sorcerer announced. He then stayed silent for a moment in order to build up suspense for the watchers.

"Maki!" he called out then. Maki smiled, relieved that she was finally next to fight. She took out her batons and walked into the ring.

"Go Maki!" her new friends cried out. As she walked towards the middle, Maki then noticed the Lee siblings, Yun, Yin, and Yang, about a few feet back amongst the audience. In her head, she frowned to herself, realizing that she has not said hello to them since they arrived in Outworld. She decided to take the opportunity then, so she smiled and waved to them.

All three of them noticed the gesture and waved back. _She waved to me!_ Yang cried out in his mind. He then realized what he thought and regained himself, but was thankful that he didn't end up saying that out loud.

It was then that Yin noticed something. "Um, Yang, why are you blushing?"

"Huh," Yang muttered as he turned his head to face his brother and sister. He felt his face turning hot then and cursed himself. "I, eh, it's really hot out, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" asked a surprised Yun. "It's practically freezing. I wish I bought a jacket with me."

"Yeah, the weather is perfect despite the purple sky," Yin replied. Then a thought came to her and she angrily asked, "You weren't thinking about Maki being nude, were you?"

"What?" Yang called out in shock.

He was then saved by the sorcerer when he called out the next opponent. "Master Christopher!"

After the announcement, a tall young man stepped into the ring. He wore nothing by a black speedo with black boots, elbow pads, and knee pads. His muscles were extremely well developed and Yin thought that she was going to faint in a second. That was until he showed off his cocky grin and began flexing his muscles to everyone. Some of the girls in the audience screamed for him in response.

 _Show off_ , Yin thought with a roll of her eyes. Then, she heard Yun cough loudly and could've swore that she heard him say, 'steroids' during the second cough.

Despite his muscles and baby face, Maki wasn't fazed at all by him. She had the impression that he was too cocky for his own good by the way he showed himself off to the audience. However, fighting him may be a different story. She would know soon enough.

The two of them exchanged glances and Maki had the feeling that something wasn't right. She quickly shook the thought out of her head and the two of them got into a fighting stance.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out after a brief moment.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Maki immediately jumped towards her opponent and aimed her batons at him. With a smirk, Master Christopher grabbed onto one of her batons and with all of his strength, he managed to throw her across the ring.

"Aahhh!" Maki cried out before landing in the sand. She quickly recovered, still holding on to her second baton, and got herself up. She noticed Master Christopher running towards her with her other baton. Immediately, Maki performed a high kick and managed to knock the weapon out of his hand.

"Nice kick, kitten," Maki heard him say before attempting a punch to her face. Maki immediately blocked that move, but then Master Christopher grabbed her arm and quickly turned her back towards him. He managed to wrap his arms around her abdomen and got her in a tight bear hug.

Despite the sheering pain of her opponent's grip, Maki tried her best to get out of it, despite the fact that he was a foot taller than her.

"That's right," Master Christopher sneered. "Struggle for me. I love it when women struggle."

"You sick bastard!" Maki growled. She lifted her free hand and managed to pinch him under his arm as hard as she could. Maki was relieved that the plan worked as Master Christopher growled in pain and let her out of the grip. Maki quickly jumped a few feet back from him to recover.

"Go Maki!" she heard her friends cry out. Just to hear that gave Maki more confidence that she would win this fight, despite the height and weight difference between her and her opponent.

 _I can do this,_ she thought with confidence.

It was then that Master Christopher managed to recovery from the pain in his arm and let out a roar before running towards Maki. He attempted various punches and kicks, but Maki was more prepared this time and managed to block them.

This went on for a minute until Master Christopher managed to duck down from one of Maki's punches and performed a sweep kick knocking his female opponent down. The sudden fall forced Maki to lose her grip on her other baton.

With his foot, Master Christopher forced Maki to roll over onto her stomach. Then, he laid on top of her, wrapped his arms underneath her own, then placed his hands behind her neck. Finding herself in another lock, Maki tried her best to get out of it.

"Is this all you can do is grapple on to people?" Maki growled.

Master Christopher smirked. "But you know you like to be grappled," he whispered close into her ear. Then, he grinded his body against her a little. The sleeze balls closest to view noticed this and began whistling.

In the audience, the Lee siblings watched in disgust. "I'd like to know how that jerk got into the tournament," said Yin.

"Who knows," replied Yun. "Probably some stupid friend of his invited him along or something."

Yang decided not to get involved in the conversation. A bit of anger filled within him. He had the urge to jump into the ring and beat the living daylights out of of Maki's opponent himself, but he had the feeling that he would be disqualified. Also, he felt that maybe Maki didn't want him to risk that either.

Surprisingly, Shang Tsung stood up and called out, "Enough of these games!"

Master Christopher looked up in surprise, not even realizing that he had let go of Maki. "I'm not playing any games, you old fool!" he cried out angrily.

Before the sorcerer could do anything about the mortal fool, Maki had grabbed her baton and bashed Master Christopher as hard as she could in the back of the head, immediately blacking him out. His unconscious body fell forward into the sand face first and he soon laid motionless.

Shang Tsung smirked a little. Maki took care of business for him for now. However, he was going to take care of Master Christopher later on tonight. "Winner: Maki!"

Some clapped, others whistled. Feeling humiliated, Maki grabbed her other baton and ran back towards her friends.

"Maki!" her female friends cried out noticing the tears that were developing in her eyes. Cody and Guy both walked up to either side of her to give her comfort.

"That jerk!" Maki cried out. "Why would he do that during a match?"

"Don't worry about him," said Guy. "He may be strong, but he'll never know honor."

"He's right," said Ibuki. "Honor is one that truly matters when you're a warrior."

Maki sighed a little. "Yeah... you're right."

That was when Yun, Yang, and Yin arrived. Maki smiled a little realizing the support she was getting.

"Are you all right, Maki?" asked a very concerned Yang.

It was then that Maki felt tears swelling in her eyes. "I am now, thank you."

"Let's get out of here," suggested Cody. Everyone agreed as the next battle began.

~~~

**Underground Lair**

"My, you're an interesting man," a woman in black ninja clothing spoke as she stepped into the ring. "You're indeed going to be a worthy challenge."

Her opponent, Vega Fabio De Cerna, turned to face her, revealing that he was wearing his infamous white mask in which he used to protect his face from damage. The woman before him was one that was beautiful, but knew by looks alone that she was a deadly warrior. Her dark eyes were filled with determination as she raised her kunais to get herself into a fighting stance. Vega raised his claw and got into his own stance.

Watching from his throne on a balcony, away from prying eyes, was Shao Kahn himself. He looked at both Vega and the girl who went by the name of Jackala (which he assumed was a female form of 'Jackal'). He sensed strong potentials in both fighters, though the truth was that only one of them will win this battle… and that one would be worthy to join his growing forces.

The battles in the underground lair were designed for fighters who Shao Kahn believed would be truly worthy of becoming his generals of his Outworld Forces. The fighters were randomly chosen and were called to the lair near sunset. A few worthy battles have already been displayed in front of him and the small audience.

However, Shao Kahn had the feeling that this next battle was going to be no ordinary one. Both fighters displayed the same drive… and even the same outlook, as the Emperor could sense. Whoever was going to win this battle was going to have the privilege to be a future General, whether they had the choice or not.

After that thought, Shang Tsung (long finished with the battles in the Courtyard) stood up from his own throne and called out, "Begin!"

Without wasting any more time, both Vega and Jackala jumped after each other in what seemed like unimaginable speed. Once they were less a foot away, Vega bounced off the ground and flew high into the air and towards the only wall covering the four corners of the ring. Jackala was a bit confused after that, looking around to see where her opponent jumped off to.

Vega bounced off the wall and headed back down towards the unsuspecting Jackala, claws aimed and ready to taste blood. Jackala turned to face him just in the neck of time. She quickly moved over that he would only pass her. In the process, she slashed a kunai in the air, manage to cut Vega a little in the arm.

However, the pain that came from the cut didn't faze Vega much… only as long as she didn't aim at his 'beautiful' face.

"Not bad," the female ninja said. "You're much quicker than I thought."

Vega let out a small, high-pitched laugh. "And you are much more beautiful than I thought." He then lifted his claw in the air once again. "However, that will not stop me from slicing you into pieces."

At that, they charged towards each other again. They slashed their weapons at one another only having the other either dodging it or blocking the weapon from contacting their skin.

As the two continued back and forth, Shao Kahn nearly smirked underneath his helmet. He officially declared in his mind that out of all the battles he had seen so far, this took the cake. He even thought that the future battles afterwards may not live up to this one.

But whatever was to happen, he would have the winner as his General… one way or the other.

The sound of metal hitting metal along with some grunts from the fighters were continued to be heard in the room. Another minute went by before Jackala made a mistake. As she aimed her kunai at her male opponent's torso, Vega lifted his claw in the opposite direction and managed to deep cut Jackala's cheek, blood immediately staining on both her face and his claw.

In shock, the ninja shrieked as the pain shot into her. She quickly backed away in order to recover for a moment. She expected Vega to come and attack her, but instead, she heard him chuckle from the other side of the ring. She looked up in time to see him take off his mask, his face now containing a sadistic grin.

"It was about time I got the chance to taste your sweet blood." And with that the matador lifted his claw to his face, then lick some of the blood off the left blade. Jackala stared in disgust as he tasted her own blood.

After that, Vega stared at Jackala and licked his lips. "Sweet, just as I thought."

For a moment, Jackala breathed in short breaths before letting out an angry shriek and charged towards Vega once again. Because of her sudden rage, her focus on the battle decreased, giving Vega a big advantage.

She swung her kunais violently, but Vega dodged them like a fly and a handful of times, he managed to cut her up in her arms, legs, torso, and back. He was careful not to puncture her, knowing that he may end up killing, which was, unfortunately for him, against the rules of The Blood Tournament.

After a while more of fighting, Jackala felt herself getting weaker by the second from the loss of blood. She tried to focus, but the more she did so, the blurrier her vision got.

Vega figured that the end was near. He quickly rolled forward on the ground and jabbed his claw forward leaving another wound in Jackala's left shoulder. The force pushed her back a few feet and she landed on the back into the ground.

The matador stood up as the ninja struggled to do the same. After nearly a minute, Jackala finally fell into unconsciousness with her blood starting to cover the ground.

Once he was sure, Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Vega!"

The small audience clapped for the winner. Now Shao Kahn felt the smirk creeping up to his lips as he eyed his winner.

"Excellent," he whispered out loud to himself. "He's indeed worthy to join me."

Even so, he decided not to approach Vega right away. He first wanted to see if there were any others as worthy as Vega was…


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Dungeons of Shao Kahn's Fortress**

The sharp sound of a whip hitting against skin was heard, following by a long, agonizing scream. Shang Tsung took pride in listening to those sounds, knowing for a fact that the tortured soul of this being will soon be his own.

As the sorcerer walked down the dark, narrow hall through the dungeon, he looked down at his hands. He could barely see them in the dark, but he was able to tell that his hands were getting frail by aging.

 _Damn it!_ he growled in his mind. _Even with the amount of souls I collected in one day, it still doesn't effect anything. Perhaps these new souls are more fragile than I thought. We'll see about that!_

He soon reached a large cell in the dungeon and placed a hand in his pocket. The monster Berserk was in the cell. Shang Tsung and the other warriors and servants of Shao Kahn were told to leave Berserk in the cell 'until his time came.' More than likely, the Emperor wanted Berserk to 'enjoy his time' before he was placed in the tournament.

The monster held a whip in his hand and brought it down to the male human who was being hung by his wrists in mid-air, feeling the wrath of Berserk's insanity. Shang Tsung wasn't sure of the other things that he had done to the human, but it was better that it was left unspoken, especially once he noticed how both legs were snapped in half. The femurs had pierced through the skin and blood dripped from the wounds.

After the next whip, the person's face was shown in a small light, revealing one of the losing opponents from yesterday's tournament… Master Christopher.

Shang Tsung's own servants managed to capture the cocky fighter in the early hours of the night and was immediately sent to this cell, where Berserk began his pleasure of torture. The mortal had called the sorcerer an old fool and was now going to pay for it.

Shang Tsung then took his hand out of his pocket, holding the Bloody Eye medallion in his hand. "That's enough Berserk."

Berserk stopped and looked over at the sorcerer. The red blood tear glowed a little and it was as though the monster was in a trance as he looked at the artifact. Then, he backed away into a dark corner, trapped under the sorcerer's command.

Master Christopher looked up and saw Shang Tsung on the other side of the bars. The cocky fighter glared at him. "When I get out of here, everyone in this tournament will know the truth."

Shang Tsung let out a menacing laugh. "And to think you called me an 'old fool.' Well, my friend… it turns out that _you_ are the fool. No one insults me and gets away with it! And as for you 'getting out of here'… I 'm sorry to disappoint you."

With that, the sorcerer brought his free hand out. Fear fell over Master Christopher's eyes, not knowing what was to come. Then, he felt like he was pulled forward and he watched as his very soul was pulled out of him. His whole body immediately turned blue as his soul screamed for mercy until it was sucked through the sorcerer's outstretched hand, trapping him for all eternity.

Shang Tsung looked down at his hand. They were no longer frail as they were a moment ago. "Much better."

He turned around and headed back out, releasing the magic hold on Berserk at the same time. Shang Tsung smirked as he heard a loud roar from within the cell, followed by the sound of tearing flesh, muscle, and bone…

~~~

**The Main Palace**

After some training, Guy, Cody, and Maki decided to get lunch. As the trio walked over to the buffet table, they noticed many of the fighters there either getting lunch themselves or have already sat down to enjoy the meal.

"I wonder if any of these guys won yet," said Cody low enough so that only Guy and Maki were to hear.

"We'll know by round two," replied Guy.

Maki chuckled slightly. "Hey, look two tables down. That guy over there made his goatee into a rat's tail."

Both Guy and Cody looked over at where Maki had pointed out. Indeed, the unknown fighter had his goatee tied into a thin, long braid that ended at mid-chest. However, aside from that, he looked menacing by his well-developed muscles and very tall height, even when he was sitting down.

"Don't let the tail fool you," Guy mentioned. "You have to worry about guys like him."

He pointed about four tables away. Cody and Maki turned towards there and noticed a blond man with a stern look. He was just as tall as the guy with the rat tail. Despite wearing a loose white shirt and blue hakama pants, one was able to tell that he had well-developed muscles.

"Remember my friend," Cody said. "Even guys like him can be easy to beat. Even guys like… that guy… can fool you."

Cody pointed to the next table over. Guy and Maki took a look and saw a man in a cowboy hat wearing a business suit. Sitting across from him was a midget also wearing a business suit.

"Hey boss," they heard the midget say. He had a high pitched raspy voice that could be heard all around the large room. "When do you go in the tournament again?"

The man in the cowboy hat looked up at his assistant looking a bit annoyed. "Soon, Jones," he answered with a heavy Southern accent. "Very soon."

After the small conversation, Guy looked at Cody. "Well, you may be right. Anyone can fool you."

Cody grinned then. "So _boss_ , when do you have your match?"

Guy looked at his best friend a bit oddly. "Two days Cody… two days."

"Oh goodie," said Maki with a smile. Then she sniffed a little. "Mmm, the food smells good. I can't-"

It was then that a large person bumped into Guy nearly knocking him down. The Bushin ninja growled in his mind as he managed to straighten himself up. He then looked at who bumped into him and became surprised. He instantly recognized him by the blue helmet alone…

Sodom.

Cody and Maki recognized him too and managed to back away a couple of feet believing that a fight may go down. Instead, the two had a stare down, though it was more of a stare up for Guy due to his height. People around them stopped to see if the same would go on as well.

After some time, Sodom finally spoke. " _Sugu ni, wareware wa tatakau._ " And with that, the large man went around Guy and left. Guy was a bit surprised that his long-time enemy did not try to fight with him at that moment. Every time they usually met at the very second, they would start that battle.

Not knowing Japanese too well, Cody looked at Maki. "What did he say?"

Maki sighed. "Soon, we will battle," she translated.

~~~

**The Forest**

After watching a few matches in the courtyard, Ashrah made the decision to excuse herself from watching the rest of the tournament and decided to take a walk through the forests of Outworld.

She was thankful that once her match began, she would be able to hold her own with her Ba Gua and Chou Jaio fighting styles. However, she still had a bit of a longing for her kriss weapon.

 _It's back in the Netherrealm,_ she thought. _But I refuse to go back to that evil place, even to get it back…_

She had decided to go on without her weapon and had hoped to find a new weapon while she was in Outworld. Speaking of Outworld, Ashrah briefly remembered how she got into The Blood Tournament to begin with;

After she was brought to this world, Ashrah had noticed a large group of people walking into a golden palace. Still unaware of her current location, the former demon had hoped that she would find answers inside.

There, Ashrah got more than she bargained for. Not only did she find out that she was in the realm of Outworld, but there was also the discovery of The Blood Tournament while eating her meal. She wasn't sure what to think of the tournament until she found out that the winner would be the owner of the most powerful artifact in all the realms.

Ashrah decided to sign up for the tournament then. As a newly purified person, she wished to test herself to see how strong she was in this new world. Plus, she believed that having the medallion in her hands could help her in the future. How? She wasn't sure of it yet.

As the former demon's thoughts lingered, they were suddenly interrupted when she heard a softly heard crunch coming from what sounded like a person stepping on leaves. Her dark eyebrows raised quickly and she turned around to see who was behind her. However, there was no one there.

Ashrah began to get suspicious. She _knew_ that someone was nearby. Even if they were invisible, they weren't about to get away that easily.

"I know you're out there!" she called out. "How about revealing yourself and getting this over with!"

The only reply was silence… too silent to her comfort. She turned to face forward and walked in a slower pace, prepared for anything, or anyone, who was near.

Unknown to her, a black mist suddenly appeared about five feet behind her. It lingered for a moment before it quickly formed into a human shape. The figure's glowing white eyes glared at Ashrah and silently went after her.

Despite the stealth, Ashrah was able to sense it's presence. She quickly turned around and landed a kick on the side of the figure's abdomen. It didn't fall, but it was definitely caught off guard. Ashrah stepped back a couple of feet to get a better look at her attacker… and immediately, she recognized who it was…

"Noob Saibot!" she cried out in surprise. The last time she had seen him… she _killed_ him!

Noob looked up at the purified woman and laughed sadistically. "Did you really expect to kill me that easily back in the Netherrealm? You seemed to have forgotten that I am-"

"A wraith?" Ashrah finished as she got into a fighting stance. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that from you before."

Noob snorted a bit at Ashrah's lame comment. "And you should know by now that only a fool would repeat their actions, even after they learned the truth."

"But that won't stop me from destroying you again."

"I don't think that'll be happening again." With that, Noob reached behind his back towards the handle of the sword which was placed in it's scabbard. He then quickly drew the sword out and placed in front of him. "Do you remember this?"

Ashrah almost gasped loudly as her very own kriss was held in front of her. She remembered now… she had lost her grip on the sword, which was still impaled in Noob at the time of her descent to Outworld. She felt a bit heartbroken that the sword that purified her was now in the hands of evil.

"I have no need for that sword anymore," she partially lied.

It was then that Noob quickly took a step forward and swung the sword at Ashrah. She managed to step back before it cut her. But then, she noticed a black energy floating out of the sword. Not wanting to know what it would do to her, she got out of it's way as it disappeared in mid-air.

Noob chuckled. "I'm sure you have noticed a slight… 'difference' in your precious sword. You see, I had cast a spell upon it especially for you. Whenever I use it against you, what it did for you in the Netherrealm will do the opposite here in Outworld."

Anger filled Ashrah as she heard this. "No! I will not return to that evil place!"

Noob attempted to swing the sword at her again, but with quickly thinking, Ashrah threw her hands forward, placing the edge of her palms together in front of her. A ball of light grew quickly in her hands and was shot out, leaving a trail of glowing white glitter behind it. Because of the small range between them, Noob didn't have time to react to the attack and once again was hit, this time being knocked a few feet back and landed hard against a tree.

The distraction gave Ashrah just enough time to escape. She wanted to continue her battle with Noob, to destroy him once again and hoped to put him away for good. However, this was not only the second time she would do this… but Noob held her sword, which was now tainted with evil. The only thing she could do right now is to devise a plan and better prepare herself.

Noob watched as the woman ran off. He narrowed his eyes as she disappeared behind the trees. _You're time will come,_ the wraith thought. _You cannot escape from me._

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

"Winner: Adon!" the Shadow Priest cried out. The people in the audience, which was a bit smaller than yesterday, clapped for the winner of the last match, the Muay Thai fighter Adon.

Adon looked down at his opponent, who was knocked out unconscious, thanks to a Jaguar kick. He was a large, dark-skinned man and was thought to be a promising fighter. However, he only proved to be nothing more than a jobber, easily beaten in less than a minute. The usually cocky grin that appeared on Adon's face during the match was now replaced by a disappointing frown with the inner edge of his eyebrows pointing down.

"This is supposed to be a tournament with the best in the universe?" Adon asked out loud. "Pathetic! No one will _ever_ beat the Muay Thai God!"

With that, the Thailand native walked out of the ring. As he did, he noticed his former master towering over the rest of the viewers. With his single eye, Sagat stared down at him blankly. Adon stopped for a moment to give him the same blank expression.

Although he had known Sagat for years, Adon could never shake the disgusted chill that went down his spine every time he saw that single eye. He only made him want to puke.

Without a word, Adon ended the stare and began walking off, pretending that his former master was no longer standing there. He had better things to do anyways.

As he watched his ex-pupil leave, Sagat laughed in his mind. _Adon will never learn…_

To the former Muay Thai champion, the current and future losers were nothing more than that… losers. He also had the feeling that Adon would not be able to handle Round two.

~~~

**Cave Area**

Night had fallen with day two of Round One of the tournament over for the day. Everyone in the cave were doing various things. This included Asuka, Sakura, Mika, Maki, and Ibuki hanging out in Asuka's 'room.' Despite the cool air outside, the inside of the cave nearly felt as if they were being roasted. Since they believed that no one would peak, the five girls either had they bottom or top garments off with only either their bra or panties showing.

"So, how do you think today's tournament went?" asked Mika.

"I know it felt good," replied Asuka. "Because I won today."

"Yeah, you really kicked butt," mentioned Sakura. "I can't wait until I'm up in a couple of days."

"You know what's even greater?" asked Maki lying back on her blanket on the floor. "I've come to notice the good looking guys of the competition, especially since you all kept pointing them out to me."

"It's funny," said Asuka. "My father always taught me to not get distracted when it came to these things. I just can't help it sometimes."

"Speaking of your father," said Mika. "How is the reconstruction of your dojo?"

Asuka smiled. "They began rebuilding as soon as I gave father the money you lent me. He believed that it would be done by the time I come back from this tournament. Seriously Mika, I don't know how to repay you."

"There's no need," Mika answered. "You needed it more than I did."

"Hey!" Maki suddenly exclaimed. "Going back to 'good looking boys,' I noticed, Asuka, how you've been all starry-eye every time you see my friends Cody and Guy."

Asuka placed a hand on her left cheek and blushed. "Sorry, I can't help it."

"Trust me, they're not interested in dating right now."

A big grin appeared on Asuka's face. "Oh, you mean they're g-"

"NO!" Maki cried out as the other girls chuckled. "I mean, they're still trying to get over… past lovers."

"Oh I see now."

A grin also appeared on Ibuki's face as she looked at Maki. "Hey Maki, after you fought that jerk yesterday, I think Yang's concern for you came off as more than just a friend."

Maki gave the school ninja an odd look. "Why do you say so?"

Ibuki shrugged. "Just the way he said it and the way he looked at you."

"That doesn't mean anything," Maki answered. "He was just concerned, that's all."

"So, any other cute guys?" asked Asuka.

"Too many to just name one," replied Mika.

"Same here," said Sakura.

"Hey, what happened with your 'bump in' with Jin?" asked Ibuki.

"He's cute," Sakura replied. "But I haven't really seen him since then. Last time I saw him was last night at dinner, but he left as soon as we got there."

"That's too bad," said Asuka. "But it doesn't matter, he's not my type anyways."

It was then that silence fell between the five girls, unsure of what else to talk about now.

Meanwhile outside, Kilik, Xianghua, and Maxi had just finished off sparring together in the beach area just near the cave. Placing their weapons back in their respective places, they sat on a large fallen log to rest before their walked back to the cave.

"That was fun," Xianghua announced as she sat between both men.

"You say that every time," replied Maxi. He then took out one of his nunchakus and swung one end of it around a little.

"But it's true. I always have fun sparring with you two."

It was then that they spotted both Chun Li and Lei Wulong coming over to the area. They each wore their fighting attires and obviously came here to train.

"Hey you two," greeted Kilik.

"Hey," replied Lei. "You don't mind if we spar here, do you?"

"Not at all," answered Maxi. "As a matter of fact, you don't mind if we watch, do you?"

"That's fine," Chun Li said with a small smile. "I like having a small audience around, especially when I know that I'll beat my opponent."

"Now don't jump ahead of yourself yet," Lei cautioned her.

Chun Li quickly shot her tongue out at her Interpol partner, then got into a fighting stance. "Let's get the show on the road."

"You got it." Then, Lei got into his own fighting stance.

The stare down between the two lasted no more than a second. Lei let out a quick yell before charging after Chun Li. He lift his leg upward in hopes of landing a kick, but the female detective defended herself against the move.

"Too slow!" Chun Li called out as she quickly backed away. Lei tried going after her with more kicks, but Chun Li blocked every one of them.

As the two Interpol agents continued their sparring session, Xianghua's attention on the training were drawn away and were now concentrating on the two men who sat on either side of her. She had almost forgot about her crush on them due to the excitement of the tournament. They were sitting too close for an average person's comfort, but Xianghua didn't care. The thought of kissing them alone made her grow a bit hot and she felt her face flush.

The thoughts continued and Xianghua grew hotter by the minute and she moved forward to adjust herself. However, when she did, she ended up falling face forward into the ground with a loud 'oof!'

Lei ended up seeing Xianghua fall forward. "Are you all right?" he called out but then he was met by a kick to the face, causing him to fall back.

Chun Li was confused by why Lei suddenly stopped fighting, but then when she saw Kilik and Maxi getting up to check on a fallen Xianghua, she understood why.

"Eh, sorry Lei," Chun Li said as she helped her friend up. Then, they walked over to their three new friends to see what was going on.

"Xianghua?" Kilik asked. "Are you all right?"

Xianghua managed to get on her knees, a big grin on her face causing everyone confusion. "Um, yeah, I'll be fine, Kilik."

Less than a mile away, Cammy had decided that it was the best time to take a bath at the hot springs. She had just won the very last fight of the night and was quite proud of herself. However, winning had a bit of a price of her. She felt sore all over her body from the long fight against her strong opponent. The one thing the Delta Red member was looking forward to now was a nice hot bath.

She, along with everyone else, had only been in Outworld for three whole days now, including today. Things seemed to be a bit slow for the tournament at the moment, but she figured that was because the best of the best have yet to be revealed.

Soon, she reached the pathway to the hot springs. However, two signs leading to two paths both say 'Hot Springs' on them.

Great, the former Shadaloo doll thought sighing. She had almost forgotten that there were going to be two hot springs. Why, she wasn't sure. Perhaps, with so many people at the tournament, they were going to be more than one hot springs. She truly wished that Rose and Raiden were able to explain themselves better.

 _But wouldn't they have the men and women separated?_ she thought.

Either way, no one was really going to be at the hot springs at this hour. She decided to take the path to the right and headed up the hill.

The trot up the hill only took a minute before she reached an area surrounded by a tall wooden fence. The door to the circular area was slightly open. Cammy pushed the door more and entered.

When she stepped in, Cammy was able to feel the heat coming from the springs. It felt relaxing to her and she was looking even more forward to stepping into the water.

In the spot she entered was planked with more wood, but this time, there were large wooden cubby holes, obviously for storing personal belongings. Cammy picked the closest one to her and one that was convenient for her height. She took off her shoes and clothing, then wrapped a large towel around her before undoing her double braids leaving her blonde hair down.

Cammy was then ready to enter the springs. As she went through another door, she heard someone just coming out of the water. She was a bit surprised by the noise because the area had been so quiet. The woman must've been the only one there before Cammy's arrival and was probably now finishing up.

It was then that she spotted the person who just came out of the water. However, the person wasn't a woman as Cammy expected…

Cammy gasped in a bit of both surprise and embarrassment as she immediately recognized one of the people staying at the cave with her. His name was Jin and there he was, standing there in all of his glory.

Unfortunately for Cammy, Jin had heard her gasp and quickly turned to see who was there. He was a caught by surprise himself and stood still, not knowing what to do.

 _Oh blimey!_ Cammy cried out in her mind as she looked at Jin. She felt her face burn hot with embarrassment. _I have the feeling that I may have entered the men's hot springs by mistake!_

 _Great,_ Jin thought himself as his face also turned red. _She's seeing me in all my glory…_

"I, I'm so sorry!" was all Cammy could muster before running off from Jin's sight. That was so embarrassing! I hope he doesn't look at me weird after that…

Jin sighed after Cammy disappeared, not sure what to think about it. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and, after a brief moment, walked off to get his belongings.

Back in the cave area, Guile stood in front of Sonya, Alex, Kenshi, and Wagner while a fire were on behind him outside. He had already talked to Chun Li, Lei, and Delta Red about the mission and now he was going to give the same lecture to his main team.

"All right," the Colonel said. "You all know what you are here for. To crack down on any unusual activities that may go on at the tournament."

Wagner sighed a little. "To me, it seems like a normal tournament."

"Not really," replied Sonya. "I assume you don't know the history of Outworld."

"Only that it's another realm."

"More than that," Alex said while brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Even I didn't believe it for a while, but the more stories I heard, the more I believed it.”

"Outworld has been known in the past for it's thirst for the domination of all realms," Sonya mentioned. "Their main purpose is destruction and slavery. However, Earth happened to be one of the last remaining realms free from their control. When they tried to take over our realm, we fought back. A handful of fighters, myself included, managed to defend Earth and free many of the other captured realms. Shang Tsung himself had been serving Shao Kahn, the Emperor at the time. We still believe Kahn is alive and still the Emperor and is most likely in hiding."

"Perhaps he may show up after the tournament," Wagner suggested.

"That's a possibility," Guile agreed. "During this tournament, we should take every precaution possible, even the ones that seem out of place. With everyone's knowledge, including Rose and Raiden's, we'll be able to discover the real purpose behind the tournament."

"But what if there never was a purpose?" the young Sergeant asked.

"But then why would they offer what is rumored to be the most powerful artifact in existence?" Alex asked.

A thought came to the Colonel then. "Now that you mentioned the medallion, that does seem suspicious. Why would they just want to give away such an artifact to the winner of the tournament? Wouldn't they have kept it for themselves or do they really have plans for the winner of the tournament? All we know about it that it's powerful and could cause chaos if it ended up in the wrong hands, but even that's the only thing Raiden and Rose know about."

"Just that alone tells me that something is indeed up," the blonde Captain suggested. "By the later rounds we'll have to warn the winners at the time. That way they know that anything could happen. And even if they don't believe us, at least they'll keep it in mind, I hope."

"Surely by then, we'll know more information," Alex added.

Kenshi, who was silent for most of the meeting, cleared his throat. "I suggest that the best way to crack down on all of this is to study up on the artifact itself. For all we know, there could be more to it than even what's commonly known. It may not be as powerful as everyone says it is."

"Kenshi's right," Guile agreed. "Getting to know the artifact is the best possible way to get around the truth. The only thing is that we need to find someone who knows the artifact… someone who is on our side."

"I have the feeling that only the holders know," Alex sighed.

"And you're not making me join them just to find out!" Wagner exclaimed.

Sonya laughed. "Don't worry Wagner, no one has to do that."

"All right," Guile began to conclude. "So at least we began the first step in this investigation. And remember, if you find any suspicious information on the medallion, Shadaloo, the Black Dragon, or the tournament, report to Sonya, Wolfman, or I immediately."

"Great," Wagner said, relieved that the meeting was over. He then looked at Kenshi and remembered a question he was going to ask him during their first night in Outworld. "Hey Kenshi, I've been meaning to ask… what's with the blindfold? Unless it's see through, how can you see through that thing?"

Guile, Sonya, and Alex looked at the young soldier oddly. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Alex exclaimed in surprise.

"And clearly you weren't paying attention to Rose's speech on the ship back on Earth," added Sonya.

Kenshi quietly sighed and lifted up his blindfold, revealing his eyes. There were no indications of iris or pupils, just white with a tint of blue where the irises should have been. And that was enough for Wagner to let out a quick yell and jump back a bit.

"Oh one other thing," Guile said suddenly. "Wagner, I assume that you forgot that you packed the rest of your jeans in my bag, since you mentioned that you didn't have room in your suitcase. Come pick them up when we get back inside."

Wagner glared at his mentor as Sonya stiffened a chuckle next to him. _So that's where they went…_ He then looked over at Kenshi. "Sorry man. I didn't even give it a thought… the fact that you're... well..."

The swordsman simply nodded before shifting his blindfold back over his eyes.

Not too far from them, Ken and Julia had just finished sparring and decided to go inside for the night. However, before they did that, Julia had wanted to make some decaffeinated tea that she brought with her to the realm. She took with her three cups (in case someone came by and wanted some), a kettle that Rose provided, and a portable gas stove that Yin Lee provided.

Ken looked at the equipment oddly. "Camping is not the same anymore. I understand Yin with a portable gas stove because her brothers tell me that she loves cooking… but a kettle? Rose must've known what we all like to eat and drink."

Julia laughed a little as she placed the kettle filled with water over the small fire on the stove. "I know, it's funny. I brought my own tea bags over thinking that I would just put hot water from the sink straight into my cup. This is more neat anyways."

They talked for a few moments before the kettle started whistling. Julia then shut the stove off, removed the kettle and poured herself and Ken some tea into their cups.

Ken took a small sip from the cup. "Wow, this is good. Did you add your own honey or was it part of the tea."

"Part of the tea," Julia replied before sipping her own tea.

It was then that Ken turned his head slightly. About twenty feet away, he noticed his best friend Ryu meditating quietly under a large tree. A thought came to him and he tried his best to stop the mischievous grin that attempted to creep upon his face.

"Hey Julia," he said. "Pour some tea into that third cup. I want to introduce you to someone."

"Um, okay," Julia said picking up the kettle. As she poured the extra tea, Ken got himself up and walked over to Ryu.

Ryu was well known to meditate through anything and will not even flinch even if there was an earthquake. However, there was only one way to get Ryu out of his meditation. Ken lifted his foot and went to go kick him in the shoulder. Immediately, Ryu lifted his arm and quickly blocked the kick.

"Time to wake up," Ken said. Ryu smirked as he heard his childhood friend's voice. He then opened his eyes, revealing a set of dark brown irises, and looked up at Ken.

"Must you always do that?" Ryu asked.

"You know I like to bug you when you're serious," Ken laughed. "Besides, I want you to meet someone."

It was then that he noticed a young woman holding two cups in each hand coming up to them. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a single ponytail and she wore khaki pants, brown flip flops, and a blue shirt.

When she was a foot away, Ken looked over at her. "It's funny. We're all staying in the same cave, but I never officially introduced the two of you to each other. Julia, I'd like to introduce you to my best friend Ryu. Ryu, this is Julia, the first person I met during this tournament."

Julia smiled at Ryu. "Ken mentioned you to me a few times. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Ryu answered.

The young woman began bending down while keeping her torso straight. "Would you like some-"

Suddenly, Julia lost her balance and fell sideways. Her own tea fell to the side as well, but unfortunately, the other cup fell towards Ryu, it's contents spilled onto the top part of his gi. Ryu was caught by surprise and immediately rolled over, then stood up.

Ken wasn't sure whether to laugh or stare in horror. He then got his senses back and helped Julia onto her feet. "You all right?"

Julia sighed. "I'm fine." She then quickly looked over at Ryu. "Are you all right? That stuff didn't burn you did it? I'm so sorry, I'm so clumsy!"

Ryu waved a hand. "It's all right. Actually, I should thank you. This gi needed to be washed anyways." With that, he undid the black belt that was around his waist, then slipped the gi off his shoulders. Julia immediately felt her face flush a bit as she stared at his well-developed torso.

Ken laughed. "Tell me about it. I don't think you've washed that thing since we last saw each other."

Ryu chose to ignore him as he turned his head to Julia. "Well, I should go rest for the night. I'll see you around. Nice to meet you." He then turned around and began walking back to the cave.

Julia sighed to herself. _What a way to make a first impression…_

Back inside the cave, Raiden has been relaxing in the 'lounge' area with a drink in his hand while sitting on a couch. Things have been quiet most of the day with no strange activities going on. As a matter of fact, that was the very thing frustrating him. Although some of his chosen mortals are working to help investigate unusual activities, he was beginning to grow impatient because the search for answers about the powerful medallion and it's holders were going slower than normal.

 _I really hope I didn't relinquish my God status for nothing,_ he thought while sipping his drink.

It was then that the former Thunder God heard footsteps entering the lounge. Raiden sighed, realizing who just came in. "Good evening, Rose."

Rose folded her arms in front of her. "Enjoying your liquor?"

Raiden smirked, looking down at the Outworld liquor he took from the palace a few hours ago. "You know, even the chosen ones will be doing this as well."

Rose grunted. "But you are the one leading them! Don't you think you can be a little more responsible than that?"

"Oh jeez, you're telling me that I can't kick back while everything is calm at the moment? Besides, I'm a God, I can't get drunk no matter how much I drink!"

The soul psychic sighed, then glared at Raiden. "Well, I'm not here to argue with you right now. As a matter of fact, I'm here because Yun lost his hat today and was wondering where it went. I believe I _found_ it."

Raiden sighed and took Yun's hat off from his own head. "That's what the boy deserved for believing that there were vending machines in Outworld. Shame, it's a nice hat too. You can give it back to him now."

With that, Rose grabbed the hat and began turning around. An idea quickly came to Raiden and he smiled mischievously, knowing that Rose was the type who would be easy to rile up. He quickly grabbed his staff, turned himself around, and managed to poke Rose's back with it.

Rose gasped in surprised, then quickly turned to Raiden in anger. "You bastard!" she cried out. She suddenly grabbed an empty mug and threw it at him.

"Hehe," Raiden chuckled. He then surrounded himself with electricity and disappeared just before the mug hit him, which instead crashed into the floor.

 _That idiot!_ Rose cried out in her mind. She then noticed a half empty bottle of wine on the coffee table. She glanced around to make sure that no one was around. After a moment, she grabbed the bottle, hid it under her coat, and quietly left the room.

~~~

**Palace Sleeping Quarters**

_The medallion must be destroyed, even at the cost of my life…_

Yoshimitsu thought of the Bloody Eye medallion as he quietly meditated in his room. Aside from those holding the artifact, he realized that he was the only participant of the tournament who knew the truth. He was able to see how fooled the fighters were, even the ones with psychic powers.

The Manji clan leader had decided to choose not to reveal the truth to anyone just yet. He knew that if he did, chaos would ensue and the fighters would most likely only destroy themselves. At the same time, he knew he had to reveal everything before the final round was over. He had the feeling that the current wielders were devising some sort of plan. What it was, he wasn't sure of.

Everyone here has been deceived. They only know the powers the medallion has to offer. They do not know what the wielders will do with it, nor do they know that it will eventually do what it has done to me…

It was then that he heard his window open. Yoshimitsu stayed still, realizing that an intruder came in. The intruder managed to slowly get through the window, obviously unaware that Yoshimitsu was in the room.

The intruder ended up dropping an empty bag and when he went to go pick it up, a green glowing katana was suddenly placed an inch from his neck. Fear fell over him at he stared at the katana's owner.

"Why do you enter?" he demanded.

"I, I'm sorry!" the intruder cried out. "I, I thought no one was in the room-"

"I don't believe you. You have come to kill me, have you?"

"Y... yes…" the intruder admitted.

With a quick swift of the sword, the intruder's neck was cut open and he fell forward to the ground dead. Yoshimitsu snorted as he put his bloody katana back in his scabbard. He then sat back down in his meditating position. "With my speculations of this tournament, I have the feeling that I granted you more mercy than you thought."

It was then that the sound of a distant cry was heard. Yoshimitsu quickly turned around, but no one was there. However, when he looked down at his dead foe, he was surprised to see that his skin had suddenly turned blue…


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Day two of round one of The Blood Tournament came. Warriors who were fighting today trained themselves, prepared for their matches, and hoped to win. But it would only be half of those whose wishes of winning today's match that would be granted.

People gathered around the courtyard, waiting for the first match to begin. They knew since two days ago that the first would start once the host of the tournament, whether it be Shang Tsung or a Shadow Priest, settled themselves on the throne and called out the first two fighters to face each other.

One of the people fighting today was Seong Mi-na. She stood amongst the watchers slightly leaning against her naginata, bored out of her mind. It was unfortunate, but due to a slight stomach virus (most likely from the fish served last night in the dining quarters), Hwang was unable to watch her battle. She felt disappointed, but at the same time, she didn't have to worry about getting a lecture if she did something wrong (whether she lost or not).

Mi-na sighed to herself as she daydreamed. She and Hwang shared a room in the palace and slept in separate beds (which she sure he was happy about considering her bad sleeping habits like rolling around a lot to get comfortable and drooling on her pillows in her sleep). Aside from that, it hasn't been a bad stay and they had enjoyed two days' worth of watching the tournament. And now she was up next today. Hwang, however, wasn't up until tomorrow.

 _Hopefully he doesn't throw up on his opponent tomorrow,_ Mi-na thought feeling a bit amused by the imagination.

It was then that Shang Tsung showed up, causing the watchers and fighters to fall silent. The sorcerer immediately sat down in his throne with two masked guards standing on either side of him.

Mi-na stared up at Shang Tsung. She had heard rumors about him in the palace, some positive, but it was mostly negative. She remembered the voices of two strangers who spoke about Shang Tsung;

"He is a man of great power. He is capable of great things."

"Don't believe such things. I heard that he secretly takes the souls of great warriors and tortures them for eternity, as long as he remains alive."

"I don't believe that. He has much honor and no one would do such a thing."

"Don't believe everything you hear."

Mi-na wasn't sure which side to believe. Sure, Shang Tsung seemed like someone with honor, but even those with honor could lack compassion. Mi-na decided to stay neutral on the subject until she heard the truth from someone who really knew who he was.

"Welcome to Day Three of Round One of The Blood Tournament!" the sorcerer announced. "The first match shall begin." He stayed silent for a moment until he announced the first of the two fighters of the first match. "Midnight!"

A man dressed in full black ninja suit jumped into the ring, a six-foot staff in hand. To Mi-na, he was nothing more than a generic ninja, standing only a few inches taller than herself. He scanned the audience with his dark brown eyes, wondering who his opponent would be.

Soon, Shang Tsung announced the next fighter. "Seong Mi-na!"

Mi-na was surprised to hear her named called out so soon. However, she was more prepared for the fight. She looked at Midnight and smirked. _He'll be easy to take down._

The two looked at each other and Midnight bowed to her in respect. Mi-na followed with a bow as well to show her respect, never taking her eyes off of him.

"You may begin!" Shang Tsung called out. Mi-na and Midnight stared at each other for a moment before slowly getting into their stances. They had nearly the same stance with only their feet placed in different positions. They then placed their weapons in front of themselves. Ironically, their weapons crisscrossed into an X and were only less than an inch apart.

Soon, Midnight pulled back and attempted his first strike with his staff. Mi-na caught this in time and blocked the incoming attack. For a moment, Midnight was on offense, forcing Mi-na on her guard and backing up a bit.

Then, Midnight made a last strike, which once again hit Mi-na's weapon, and he began pushing forward, forcing the young woman to back up a bit. Soon, she began pushing back, hoping not to end up on the ground and letting her opponent have more control over the fight than he already had.

"You're a pretty one," Midnight whispered so that only Mi-na would hear. "But that doesn't mean that it'll earn you a win."

Mi-na laughed a little in amusement. "Yeah, but I'm sure you're still distracted by my beauty nevertheless."

She knew he was surprised by the statement with the way he widened his eyes. This gave Mi-na the moment she needed to take control of the match. She lifted up one foot and managed to kick Midnight's left shin. He let out a small yelp and pulled back a couple of feet to recover. Mi-na then brought up the back part of her naginata and, with all of her strength, hit Midnight on the side of the face, knocking him to the floor. After that move, Mi-na was able to hear a few "Oooh!" as though they themselves were in pain.

Mi-na then attempted to smack Midnight again with her weapon, but the ninja suddenly grabbed hold of it, much to her surprise. They struggled for a moment until Midnight pulled forward and managed to make Mi-na fly forward, forcing her to somersault as well before landing on her back.

As she recovered, Midnight quickly recovered and threw the naginata out of the ring, much to the Keisei native's dismay. Mi-na felt lucky at that moment because she knew a little bit of hand-to-hand combat, but she wondered how long it would take before Midnight would be in control of the match once again.

When Midnight began walking back towards her, Mi-na then noticed that his own staff was a bit further to the left and still in the ring. She took a mental note and hoped to be able to get to it before her opponent did.

Midnight jumped up with one foot out in front of him. Mi-na quickly rolled out of the way. Midnight saw this and managed to catch himself and land gracefully. Mi-na was able to get herself up then when she noticed her opponent now coming after her with both fists ready for action.

Mi-na dodged a few punches, but then Midnight managed to land one in the abdomen, forcing the air in her lungs out of her. She keeled over a bit, holding on to her stomach, and backed up for a second to recover. Midnight then lifted his foot up and kicked Mi-na in the face, forcing her body to snap upwards and she stumbled back a bit. Then, Midnight grabbed her from behind and performed a German Supplex.

Pain shot up and down Mi-na's body from the damage she took. _Great, I won't make it through this round!_ she thought. It was then that she looked to the right and noticed Midnight's staff laying right next to her.

When Midnight was close, Mi-na quickly grabbed the staff and jabbed it forward into his leg. The leg wasn't punctured, but it was enough for Midnight to keel over in pain. Mi-na quickly got up and let Midnight recover from the blow.

Then, the ninja looked up at her, anger quickly filling in his eyes. Determination appeared in Mi-na's face and she got into a stance, ready for anything.

With a loud animal-like shriek, Midnight ran after her. Mi-na took a step back and suddenly felt the rope that separated the ring from the audience. A small smirk came over her as she developed a plan.

Less than a foot was soon in between them and Mi-na quickly stepped aside. Midnight was able to catch himself before he ran out of the ring. However, Mi-na noticed this and quickly kicked him in the back and sending him flying past the ropes.

“That's what you get for not paying attention,” Mi-na stated with a smirk.

As her named was announced as the winner, Mi-na placed the staff back down on the ground as Midnight struggled to get up. With a bit of struggle herself due to the pain still in her, she stepped out of the ring, picked up the naginata she named Scarlet Thunder, and began her walk back to her room in the palace.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

Guile thought he saw stars as an uppercut was delivered into his chin forcing him to stumble back. _Damn it!_ he thought, mad that he didn't see the punch in time.

When the stars in his eyes finally disappeared, he looked over at his opponent, a female mutant who went by the name Muscana. The Colonel guess that she was a half human half lizard, having brown, scaly skin, a long tail that would flick back and forth, and arms and feet like a reptile. She stared at Guile with her maroon-colored eyes and her black, forked tongue would sometimes slither out of her mouth and roll before going back in.

Guile tried not to show disgust by her appearance, especially with her tongue. He admitted earlier that he wondered why fragile-like fighters would fight against brute fighters or why humans fought other creatures rather than call it even.

But now he understood… the fighters of each match were picked at random and it didn't matter who it was against. You had to do your best and hope to win. Besides, The Blood Tournament contained 'the best of the best' and you had to be up for anything.

When Guile first laid eyes on Muscana, he knew that the fight would be quite challenge, especially now since she revealed her fast speed in the ring. That was about two minutes ago when the match started. He was strong, but now this fight was going to prove which was best… strength or speed?

"You're an interesting opponent," Muscana spoke as though she was hissing. "I'm glad to be able to fight someone like you… knowing that I will indeed win."

Guile narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't get too confident, it might cost you."

That angered Muscana a bit and with a loud hiss, she jumped in quick speed towards the older man. Guile attempted to dodge out the way, but Muscana managed to grab him and they rolled back a couple of feet before stopping. When they did, Muscana was on top of Guile, a sadistic grin on her face revealing a row of sharp white teeth.

"It's been a while since I fought a human," Muscana hissed as her tongue rolled again. "I'm going to enjoy crushing you." With that, she slightly licked the side of Guile's face, which made him quickly shove her off of him. She rolled over to the side and the Colonel immediately stood up.

"Enough games!" Guile demanded. "Let's get this match over with!"

Muscana hissed a little. "Fine, if that is your wish!" She then darted after the soldier in her speed. This time, Guile was prepared for her attacks. The moment she was close enough, Guile dodged out of the way. Muscana managed to catch herself before falling out of the ring. She turned back around and darted after him again.

The mutant then threw various punches and kicks, most of which Guile blocked. A couple of times he was kicked in the stomach or punched in the face, but he did his best to regain his composure.

But then a kick to the shin was all Muscana need to make the Colonel fall to the floor in pain. She lifted her foot up to stomp on him, but he rolled his body a few feet to the side to avoid the attack. He then rolled himself back up to his feet, still holding on to his leg in which the pain was beginning to decrease.

Muscana let out a hiss. "I'll finish this!" she announced. She then jumped in the air and flew towards Guile. A small smirk appeared on the older man's face at that moment.

The Air Force Colonel jumped up off his good leg once Muscana was in the right spot in the air. He then extended his good leg out and performed a backwards somersault, hitting Muscana under the chin in the process. " _Somersault shell!_ " he called out.

Muscana would've let a scream out had it not been for her jaw to slam up on the top row of her teeth. While Guile landed on the ground with ease, Muscana landed hard on her side, losing consciousness in the process. When she didn't get up for a while, the Shadow Priest stood up.

"Winner: Guile!"

"YEAH!" Guile heard Wagner cry out nearby as the audience began to clap for him. The Colonel turned around and saw his team, Interpol, and Delta Red clapping for him. This felt good for Guile, not getting an ovation this good in any tournament. In reply, he smirked, brought his right hand up (with only his index and middle finger extended) and saluted to them.

Once Guile returned into the audience and everything was settled down, the Shadow Priest spoke. "The next match shall begin." He paused for a moment before announcing the first fighter. "Dan Hibiki!"

"YAHOO!" Dan cried out as he attempted to jump over the ropes. When he did, he ended up getting his foot caught and he fell forward. In the process, he brought the remaining ropes that made a circle fall forward like a domino effect but in two different directions.

This caused everyone in the arena to laugh at Dan's clumsiness. However, this didn't seem to affect the Saikyo fighter as he rolled himself a few feet into the ring, stood himself up, and flexed his left arm.

"Not even that rope is going to take me down!" Dan cried out again. "OYAJI!"

It was another minute before everyone was able to compose themselves from their chuckles. This finally gave the Shadow Priest the chance to announce Dan's opponent. "Brent Archer!"

Immediately, a young man walked into the ring. He was a mix of African American and Hispanic with a black cap worn backwards, an orange t-shirt, black baggy sweats, and basketball sneakers.

Brent laughed once he faced Dan in the middle of the ring and laughed. "This is gonna be easier than I thought. I'm gonna make it to round two after all. What male person dresses in pink any ways?"

"Don't be too cocky Brent," Dan replied while wagging a finger. "And besides, who wears Halloween colors in the summertime?"

Brent brought his hands up to his chest and cracked his knuckles. "Let's go, Pinky."

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out. However, Brent had already began running towards Dan, ready to take him down.

However, Dan was prepared for his attacks. Brent began throwing punches and kicks at him, but Dan managed to block them. Dan attempted to kick the side of his opponent, but Brent managed to grab a hold of his leg.

"Uh oh," Dan muttered just before he was brought up in the air. Brent let go then and the Saikyo fighter landed hard on his back. Before he could attempt to recover, Brent brought his foot up and began stomping on Dan rapidly.

"OWE!" Dan cried out, repeating each time he was hit. He then made an attempt to grab Brent's own leg and succeeded. He pulled forward and forced Brent on his back. Dan then got up and performed an ankle lock he learned from watching television.

"AH! DAMN IT!" Brent yelled out as the pain from his ankle shot through him. He struggled to get out of the lock for a moment. Then, he rolled on to his back and pulled his locked leg forward, bringing a surprised Dan along. The pink-clad fighter flew over his opponent and landed a few feet away. He shook his head from the minor pains and got up just in time to see Brent run after him again.

" _Gadouken!_ " Dan cried out swinging his right arm in front of him. An energy the size of a basketball came out of his hand. The move shocked Brent and he had thought he was screwed… but the energy only made it halfway before it popped like a bubble.

Brent began laughing then. "You've gotta be kidding me? This fight is such a joke, it's not even all that-"

" _Dankuu-kyaku!_ " Dan suddenly cried out. Brent looked in front of him, only to be met with Dan's feet right in his face. Once he was hit, he went flying back a few feet, having to lost consciousness during that time, and landed on his back. The arena was silent then, surprised by the result of the match.

"Winner: Dan Hibiki!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Dan gave out a thumb's up. "Remember everyone, think pink!"

"You still suck!" someone in the audience cried out.

~~~

**Beach Arena**

The tournament was currently underway between two fighters who looked like wrestlers. Ryu, having won his own match a few hours ago, decided to watch a few matches before retreating back to the cave.

Half the time when a fighter won, Ryu had the urge to jump right into the ring and challenge the opponent, as he normally would during his travels. However, the matches were already fixed up and any interference would result in a disqualification. So, all he could do was watch.

He had been concentrating on the fight when he felt a light punch on his left arm. Ryu turned his head in that direction and noticed Ken standing there with a grin on his face. Behind him was Julia who held a bag of crackers in her hand.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Ken asked putting his fist out.

Ryu put his own fist out and the two tapped them together, their traditional greeting. "Not much, I won my match."

"Gee, what a surprise," Ken answered sarcastically. "I won my tournament too, so did Julia."

"Congratulations," said Ryu. "Seems that we're all going to be in round two."

"Indeed," spoke Julia. "I don't think anyone in the cave lost the tournament yet as far as I know."

"That's how good we are," Ken said. "I mean, we are the ch-"

"SSHHH!" Julia exclaimed with one finger over her lips. "Not here."

"Oops, that was close. Any who, I unfortunately can't say… I have, eh, things to do. I'll see you two later!"

Before Julia and Ryu could speak, Ken was already making his way out of the group of audience. When he did, a mischievous grin came over him. _Ryu, it's about time that you got a girlfriend and Julia's the perfect candidate._

Back in the audience, Julia stood next to Ryu, not sure of what to say. It would seem that, to her relief, Ryu had forgotten yesterday's tea incident. She looked over at the Japanese warrior and found herself admiring the well crafted muscles on his arms. Ryu was wearing a white t-shirt which cling on to his torso, blue jeans, and sneakers. In addition, he also wore his red headband around his forehead.

Julia realized then that, since it was now her and Ryu, that she should start a conversation. She looked over at the match that was going on in front of them. "How's this match going?" she asked.

Ryu didn't answer immediately. He looked down at the young woman next to him, a bit surprised that she spoke to him… even after the tea incident. Ken once told him that girls were sensitive about embarrassing moments, but it seemed that Julia had gotten over the situation quite quickly.

"It's a bit slow, I've seen better," Ryu replied then.

"I'm sure it'll get more interesting in the later rounds," Julia mentioned. "That's when we'll see some truly great matches."

"That's true."

The two fell silent then. Julia fiddled around in her mind wondering how to keep the conversation going. That was when she heard a loud grumble next to her. She turned her head to Ryu, who then slightly looked down and patted his stomach.

He's obviously hungry, Julia thought. She lifted up the bag of crackers she originally had in case she went hungry herself.

"Crackers?" she offered.

Ryu looked over at the bag and took it in his hand. "Yes, _arigatou._ "

" _Dō itashimashite,_ " Julia replied with a nod.

Ryu began munching on the crackers. “You're Japanese is good,” he mentioned.

Julia shrugged. “I admit, I only know a little bit of it, just enough to get by if I ever visit Japan.”

“I see.”

They fell silent again and continued to watch the match in front of them.

~~~

**Forest, Somewhere near the Main Palace**

Noob Saibot sat silent on the ground as thoughts danced through his head. Normally he would be meditating, but that form requested that he was free of any thoughts. However, right now, that wasn't the case.

Originally, the wraith had come to Outworld to devise his plans of creating his own army of cyborgs, a plan he came up with ever since he found Smoke in a catacomb among this very realm. He had been the leader of the Brotherhood of Shadows ever since Quan-Chi's fall under unknown circumstances. Since then, he strived to rule the Netherrealm as he saw fit.

Outworld became sort of Noob's base of operations, especially considering that his lackey was limited in his stay in the Netherrealm. He knew the forms of the technology that made Smoke who he was now (originally, he was a human), but getting the equipment wasn't going to be as easy. He wasn't sure where to take it from this time, but he was confident that it will all come in due time.

Other thoughts came to him, like Ashrah. He was aware of her escape from the clan before becoming leader. She was suspected of treason after she questioned Quan-Chi about a mission she was assigned for. The sorcerer had sent his other female assassins to execute her. However, Ashrah escaped death, a mystery of how it happened, until she went after Noob in order to free herself from the realm.

Her kriss, the weapon that purified her, helped her escape from her death. She slewed countless demons purifying her more each time. Noob was the ultimate breakthrough. However, he was a wraith and couldn't be killed that easily.

 _She was foolish,_ Noob thought. He took the kriss out of his scabbard behind him and looked at it, black energy glowing around it. Before leaving for Outworld, he went to Earthrealm and slaughtered anyone who saw him. With that, he used a spell to collect their sins, making the kriss more of an evil sword.

While there, he had heard about the ships that were leaving for Outworld. Noob wasn't sure if there was a portal to Outworld on Earth and it was already a pain traveling back to the Netherrealm and getting to their portals. So, he took the opportunity to take the shortcut and got on a ship without anyone seeing him.

At least he thought no one saw him. During the daytime, while hiding, he noticed a young woman searching around and realized she was searching for him. Whatever the reason, he wasn't sure, though his guess was that she saw him sneak onto the ship. It didn't matter, because he was going to collect her sins later that night.

He was close too, holding the knife in his hand just behind her. Then, a Native American man interfered, shooting a glowing green arrow at him. The woman noticed him then, looking surprised. He escaped then, jumping into the waters, then managed to blend himself into the darkness. A failed attempt, but it didn't matter... he got his chance to collect the sins of other after that event.

It was then that his thoughts were interrupted as he heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind. As Noob expected, Smoke showed up.

"Good, you are here," Noob said. "I would like to discuss some plans I had thought of."

Smoke nodded and the two headed back into the palace. They had reached their floor when they noticed another cyborg, a red version of Smoke coming by. The three stopped then and the red cyborg stared at Smoke.

"Where have you been this whole time?" the red cyborg asked. 

Noob realized who this was then. "Sektor?"

Sektor turned his head to the wraith. "And what business do you have with me, B-?"

Noob stared at the red cyborg. "Do not call me that. That is no longer my name. Beside, I had just thought of something."

"This better not be a waste of time," Sektor said.

Noob began to talk. "Your clan consists of cyborgs as well, captured ones too. I would assume that you have knowledge on cyborg creations."

Sektor nodded. "Straight from the old Lin Kuei clan. Speaking of the Lin Kuei, how long has it been since you were called-"

"Do not worry about that right now," Noob suggested. "Do you have anyone in your clan with you now?"

The thought of Matrik, the escaped cyborg and the first female of the clan, came to the Tekunin leader. "You could say that, but it's only one person."

"I see," Noob continued. "If you and I unite, like old times, we may be able to dominate our realms with your technology and my power, especially once I get _Chishio No Me_ in my hands. We can consider this a temporary alliance until we both reach our goals. That is all."

Sektor thought about this for a moment. He wasn't one to form alliances with anyone, even if he had known the person for years. At least he didn't have to be tied down to this alliance after he reached his goals.

"Agreed," Sektor finally said. "Starting tomorrow, we will discuss our plans."

"Good," Noob finally said before Sektor departed. Noob himself began walking forward with Smoke following.

 _Perhaps I can take over the Tekunin clan as well,_ the wraith thought sadistically.

~~~

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

Quan Chi looked up at the palace before him. It was well hidden within the mountains and the large trees that surrounded it. Anyone new to the realm would have had a hard time finding the place.

When he walked onto the porch, he noticed a few half-dressed women sitting around or doing activities in complete silence. Quan Chi noticed that they all wore the same black choker with a large emerald jewel hanging off of them. He walked inside and saw more of these women in the same state.

The sorcerer realized then that these women were part of Shang Tsung's harem. They were captured women whose lovers or brothers were slain by the sorcerer and were mostly kept in secrecy, never leaving the palace.

The chokers on their necks were meant for two things. One was to keep them in Shang Tsung's control after his first woman escaped him. The second was to keep their youth as they were when they were captured. Some of the women were just as old as Shang Tsung was. And it was only him who could take the choker off.

Quan Chi soon reached the throne room and saw Shang Tsung there with two women sitting on the arms of the throne serving him wine and an exquisite meal. Quan Chi was almost jealous of Shang Tsung's 'success,' but it was only because Quan Chi himself never had the chance indulge in such a thing in a long while, not since his days as leader of the Brotherhood of Shadow in the Netherrealm.

"Glad you made it, Quan Chi," Shang Tsung said. He looked at all the women in the room. "LEAVE US!" he demanded. Immediately and literally in sync, the women got up from their places and left the room. When they were gone, Shang Tsung turned back to Quan Chi, waiting for him to speak.

"You and I both know that even the ones who worship Shao Kahn want a hand in that medallion," Quan Chi said. "I'm surprised you haven't made a break for it once he entrusted you with the artifact."

Shang Tsung smirked then. "Well, it's back with the Emperor right now. I use it more for my own pleasure and to control Berserk when the opportunity arises."

Quan Chi almost felt a small shudder go up his spine remembering what happened when he first saw the undead monster, but then shook the thought from his head. "I believe I'm more worthy of that medallion. I'm the one who found it to begin with and actually let _him_ take advantage."

"Which was moronic of you," Shang Tsung mentioned. "Any fool would've kept the artifact for themselves. I thought you were smarter than that, Quan Chi."

"My reason was that it would give him the opportunity to grant him more power over the realms. This tournament never would've happened if it wasn't for me."

Shang Tsung shrugged a little. "That is true. However, when this is over, the artifact will belong to me."

Quan Chi eyed the sorcerer. "Don't jump ahead of yourself. As a matter of fact, the reason I came to you was because I wanted to form an alliance. The both of us are sorcerers with great power. Imagine our powers combined? We can take Shao Kahn down ourselves and take the medallion for ourselves. We'll take over the realms and turn them into anything we see fit."

Shang Tsung thought of this for a moment. He had known Quan Chi for quite sometime and even he knew that the sorcerer wasn't exactly trustworthy. Shang Tsung already knew that he was much smarter than Quan Chi and already smelled a betrayal from miles ahead. However, the opportunity to combine powers in order to rule Outworld himself was one that couldn't be refused. He'll have to remember to watch Quan Chi carefully during this time.

The sorcerer stood up and placed his hand out. Quan Chi took his hand and they shook them. "Fine," Shang Tsung said. "But do not try anything funny."

"Same to you," Quan Chi replied. "We will discuss plans tomorrow night." With that, the pale sorcerer walked out of the palace.

Once he was gone, Shang Tsung smirked. "Now to give attention to my ladies." He got up, took off his cape, set it down on the chair, and walked out of the throne room.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_The next night…_

Just outside the cave, Ken had started up a fire. Wanting to warm up, Cody, McCoy, Lei, Wagner, and Yang all came over to Ken and sat around the fire.

"Say, how are you all doing with the tournament?" McCoy asked.

"I won my tournament quickly unfortunately," mentioned Cody. "I was hoping that I got a good, lengthy fight. Maybe in the next round."

"I'm up in a couple of days," said Yang.

"Me too," said Lei.

"I already won my tournament," mentioned Wagner.

McCoy snickered. "Yeah, after you were practically molested by your opponent." Wagner only glared at him in response.

"I won yesterday," Ken answered. "It's too bad you, Wolfman, and Ginzu decided not to participate in the tournament."

McCoy sighed a little. "I guess maybe next time. Colonel Wolfman didn't want too many of us involved. Cammy was the one who received the invitation and Lita volunteered to participate before I had the chance. Unfortunately, Lita lost yesterday's tournament and she's not very happy about it to say the least."

"That's a shame," said Cody.

"Oh yeah, I got something, but you can't tell anyone about it, it'll be between all of us," McCoy said. He went through his bag and took out a large bottle. Everyone looked at it with curiosity. It was obviously liquor, but it was written in a different language.

"What kind of stuff is that?" asked Lei.

"Outworld liquor from what I was told," McCoy replied. "It's supposed to be the best stuff here." He then took out some cups and passed them to everyone. "Everything seems calm with this tournament at the moment so I'm sure having a few won't be too bad."

"What about your job?" asked Yang.

"We're all technically off duty right now," said Wagner.

McCoy looked at him then. "How old are you? I know the drinking age in the states is 21."

"I'll be 22 in August. You need ID?"

McCoy laughed and poured him a drink. "Nah, I believe ya mate." He then looked at Yang. "Be honest, what's the drinking age where you're from?"

"I'm 20 years old and there is no minimum drinking age in China," Yang replied.

"He's right," vouched Lei.

"Lucky," Wagner said. "I think the US has the oldest legal drinking age."

"I think Egypt is 21 as well," mentioned Cody. “Don't ask me how I know this.”

"All right, so technically we're all legal," McCoy said as he poured himself a drink before putting it aside. "Now, let's not drink too much because we might get in trouble."

"You said it," answered Lei.

_Twenty minutes later…_

"Whoaaaa!" said Cody. "I see coloooooors…"

"I feel GREAT!" cried out Wagner. He looked at his empty cup. "I loooove hard liquor!"

"Me TOO!" yelled Yang.

"I can't feel feelings," slurred Ken. "I woooonder if that's a goooood thing."

"I've been wooooorking ooooon the raiiiilroaaaad," sang McCoy.

Lei got up then and attempted to dance the Marcarena, but was unsuccessful as he fell backwards and into the sand. "Heeelp, I'm drowniiing!"

Cody picked up the half empty bottle of liquor and looked at it. "I wanna play football!" He then tossed the bottle in the air. However, the bottle ended up landing in the campfire causing a suddenly explosion shocking the guys and nearly sobering them up.

"KABOOM!" cried out Ken randomly as he fell on his side.

"Is it the Fourth of July already?" asked Cody as the ball of fire above them dissipated.

Unfortunately for them, everyone in the cave area had heard the explosion and began running over to see what had just happened. They noticed Ken, McCoy, Cody, Wagner, Lei, and Yang buzzed out of their minds and pretty much figured out how the explosion from the campfire happened.

Wagner looked at everyone and noticed a very angry Guile. He began laughing then, "Uh oh, we're in trooouuble."

Rose and Raiden happened to show up as well. Rose looked at the guys in disappointment and folded her arms. "What kind of influences will you be to your future children? You are the defenders of the realms for crying out loud!"

Raiden folded his arms as well. "Yeah, and how dare you don't invite the Thunder God to drink with you!"

He then Rose groan before she stomped off. Raiden turned in her direction. "What was that for?"

Yin walked over to Yang then. "Come on, you're going to bed."

After she helped him up, Yang wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I loooove you sis!"

"Ew, your breath stinks!" Yin cried out.

~~~

**The next morning…**

"Owe, my head," Wagner said as he woke up. He rubbed the front of his forehead as a headache immediately came to him. "What did I drink last night?"

He slowly got himself up, half expecting to puke right then, but his stomach felt fine, surprisingly. He continued to rub his head as he got to his feet. Near his suitcase, the young Air Force pilot saw a small shopping bag and slowly went through it until he found a bottle of aspirin.

 _Now I just need water,_ he thought. Wagner knew that he didn't have any drinks in his room. After slowly putting on some jeans over his boxers (also already wearing a white tank top), he made his way barefoot out of his room and began heading over to the lounge area.

Wagner took his time to get to the area as he felt his head spin. But then he ended up stumbling a bit and accidentally stumbled into one of the private rooms.

"AAHHH!" he heard a female voice cry out nearly scaring the life out of him. Wagner looked over and saw Alex. She had on her jeans but she had been in the middle of hooking the hooks of her bra when he stumbled in.

"AAAHH!" they both suddenly cried out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Wagner cried out. "I didn't mean to-"

"GET OUT!" Alex yelled. She then grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at Wagner. He saw it in time and ran out of the room. He stood there for a moment trying to recover from the incident.

 _Damn, after all that screaming from the both of us, I have more of a headache._ Wagner sighed to himself and continued his way to the lounge room.

Meanwhile, Chun Li went in Lei's room to see how he was doing after seeing him drunk last night. He was already sitting up in his cot rubbing his head. Luckily, Chun Li had already brought a bottle of aspirin and a cup of water knowing that her Interpol partner was going to feel like this.

Lei heard his curtains move and looked up to see Chun Li walking over to him. "Can't you believe it," he said. "I have probably the biggest hangover I ever had in my life…and I only had two cups of liquor…"

Chun Li laughed a little as she sat on the bed and handed him the items she brought. "It's from this realm so it's obviously very strong stuff. Have you learned your lesson from yesterday?"

Lei nodded. "I learned a big lesson… never drink liquor from another realm." He then popped a pill in his mouth and swallowed it down with water. He repeated with another pull and finished up the cup of water before setting it aside.

"Well, Guile and Wolfman weren't too happy about Wagner and McCoy, but after Raiden's comment, which I hope was a joke, they actually calmed down. I guess because our supposed mission is slow right now, we might as well relax and enjoy ourselves, as long as no one gets hurt."

Lei nodded. "Yeah, true…"

"However, you still have to make it up to me."

Lei looked up at the female detective awkwardly. "What are you talking about?"

Chun Li grinned a little. "For getting drunk and nearly scaring all of us when Cody threw that bottle in the campfire, you have to make it up to me. When we get back to Earth, you are going to buy me a dinner and a movie."

Lei laughed then. At that moment then, he began to notice something different about Chun Li. They had known each other for quite a while, ever since she joined Interpol a decade ago. He was then surprised to notice then that she was not wearing her double buns, something that he had been very used to. Instead, her long, pin straight, dark brown hair was left free and had fallen down to the middle of her back.

"Sure," Lei finally answered. "Just remind me when we get back."

"Don't think I'll forget," Chun Li said.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

"Bring it on, ya alien!" Paul Phoenix cried out. He was down on one knee after receiving a kick to the abdomen and looked up at his opponent, who literally looked like your usually green, big-headed alien with big black eyes. The unnamed alien (even if did have a name, Paul didn't care) stared down at his opponent.

Paul managed to get himself on both of his feet. Their fight had been going on for about five minutes. Beads of sweat covered his face and he was still trying to catch his breath. He brought his left hand out, palm facing up, and moved all four of his fingers back and forth, motioning his opponent to keep fighting him.

The alien replied then and began running up towards him. When he was close enough, Paul stepped aside and placed his arm out in front of him. Due to his speed, the alien smacked right into his opponent's arm and his own legs literally gave out in front of him. He did a backward somersault before landing on his head, immediately knocked out.

The Shadow Priest hosting the indoor arena tournaments stood up then. "Winner: Paul Phoenix!"

Everyone clapped after the announcement. Paul brushed himself off as he stared down at his unconscious opponent. "Nothing like a good workout! I knew I was fit enough to be in this tournament!"

He made his way out of the ring and out of the arena, not interesting in watching the next few tournaments. As he did, he noticed Ivy Valentine (who had won her own match just before Paul's) standing behind everyone else.

Paul decided to start a conversation then. "Did you see that? I'm SO the best in the universe!"

It was then that the American fighter noticed Ivy placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, still keeping her cold eyes at him. Although Paul wanted to fight her then, he decided that now wasn't the best time…

"Well, eh, maybe next time," he said, surprised that his voice was a bit shaky. He left then, still feeling Ivy's cold glare on him until he completely passed him.

Ivy smirked to herself then, feeling a bit amused. _I have the feeling that the arrogant fool will get his in due time…_

~~~

**Forest**

"Sophitia would be proud of me," Cassandra mumbled to herself as she slowly walked through the forest. The young Keisei native had just won her tournament in the Outdoor arena and was quite proud of herself. She didn't think that she would actually make it to the next round, but she did.

Even with her victory, she sighed to herself. She had been quite bored in the realm ever since her arrival. All she had done was train herself, walk around the area, eat, and read the books that she brought with her. However, she had finished with all the books. She met a few people in the tournament, but none that she had much in common with. She was getting bored of her activities, even going to the dining quarters twice a day was getting to her.

Cassandra then thought of her home world. She and her older sister Sophitia helped bakery shop in their small village, which was owned by their father. She smiled to herself as she imagined the smell of pastries and assorted chocolate cooking over the fire tickling at her nose. They both make enough money to put food on the table at least, but none the less they were happy.

She soon began to miss her home. Cassandra was already aware that even if she lost the whole tournament, she had no choice but to stay in the realm until the winner of the entire tournament was announced.

 _I really hope this whole thing goes fast,_ the young blonde thought. _If I don't find anyone to socialize with soon, I'm going to lose my mind!_

It was then that Cassandra noticed a twelve foot wooden fence covering a large piece of land. It dawned on her then… it was the outdoor hot springs that she had heard about. She had already been in the palace's hot springs, which was all right but not to her taste. She wondered if the outdoor ones were any different.

Cassandra decided to check it out again later tonight after dinner. She started to make her way past the long rows of wood that made up the large fence. Halfway there, she noticed five girls about her age standing on boxes that were piled on top of another looking over the fence.

The young walked over with curiosity. Then, one of them looked over at her. Cassandra began to open her other to speak, but then the girl let out a hush, then gave her a gesture to come up. Cassandra shrugged and made her way to the top to join the girls.

"Hi I'm Maki," the girl who called her over said. "What's your name?"

"Cassandra."

"Hi, I'm Asuka," another girl whispered. She began pointing at the other girls with her. "And this is Sakura, Ibuki, and Mika."

"Why are you all up here?" Cassandra asked.

Ibuki took a finger and silently pointed to the other side of the fence. Cassandra looked over and almost fell over by what she saw. A group of mostly good-looking men were bathing in the in-ground tub. Her eyes were wide and she felt a small smile creep up to her face.

 _Finally, something good is coming out of his trip!_ she thought.

Meanwhile, in the men's hot springs, Wagner sighed to himself. "Thank God my headache is gone."

Guile sighed to himself as well. "I had hoped you learned your lesson after that little party you threw when you were seventeen."

"I figured you were a trouble maker as a teenager," laughed Yun.

Yang looked at his brother. "As if you weren't."

"Well, my advice is to never drink more than a pint of Outworld liquor," said Ken.

Kilik looked around the area then. "Do you guys get the feeling that we're being watched?"

Maxi laughed and slapped his friend's back lightly. "Relax, Kilik, you are always so paranoid."

Back on the other side of the fence, the girls continued to watch the boys, not caring about the conversation they were having. They stayed silent and hoped that the guys didn't see their heads peaking over the fence.

Then, Sakura looked at Cassandra. "So, are you staying at the palace?"

Cassandra turned to the school girl. "Yeah, it's really boring isn't it?"

"Actually, we're staying in the cave. It's not the best, but it's better than nothing."

"A cave? Sounds interesting."

Little did the girls know was that Xianghua had happened to pass the area as well, wanting to take a walk to get to know the area a bit more. She stopped in her placed and looked up at the girls.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

The girls had not expected to have someone come up from behind them. They all leaned into the fence in surprise as they let out a perfectly in sync gasp. Unfortunately, their combined weight on the fence forced the wood to suddenly snap and they began falling forward. They all shrieked, which immediately grabbed the attention of the guys sitting in the tub. Just as they all looked up, all of them landed in the water.

"What the…" Maxi said in a bit of surprise.

Kilik laughed. "I told you we were being watched!"

The girls emerged from the water then. When they all noticed the guys staring at them, they all shrieked again. They then quickly jumped out of the water, went through the broken fence, and made a run for it. Once they disappeared, the guys noticed a very shocked Xianghua standing there as though she wasn't sure what to do. She became even more in horror when she noticed that her two friends, Kilik and Maxi, were amongst the group in the tub.

Maxi laughed and decided to tease his friend. "Hi Xianghua! Wanna join us?"

Immediately, Xianghua's face turned red before making a dash for it. Maxi laughed a little. "I'll take that as a no."

The guys were silent for a moment until Wagner said, "Great, who is going to fix that fence? And it's not going to be me!"

Meanwhile, by the river off the beach area, Raiden looked over at the group consisting of Cody, Guy, Dan, Ryu, Wolfman, McCoy, Ginzu, Jin, Sub-Zero, Lei, Kenshi, and Nightwolf. "All right, Rose suggested that we all went out to collect some food, something I agree on for once. What we are going to do is go fishing."

"Yahoo!" cried out Dan. "I love fishing!"

"Um," said Lei. "Is there really fish in that water?"

"Of course," Raiden replied. "There are fish in every realm. However, I must warn you that the fishes in Outworld are a bit… different. So when you see them, try not to be shocked. I want you all to catch at least five fishes by the end of the day."

"Wait a minute," said Cody. "Where are the other guys? You should try to bring them here too."

"How I should I know?" Raiden answered. "I'm a God, not a magician. Does everyone have their fishing poles?" He looked at everyone. "Good." He began leaving then.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked McCoy.

Raiden looked back at the group. "I have, eh, things to do. Besides, I want to leave you all to get to know each other a bit more. Ciao!" With that, electricity surrounded him and he teleported away.

Sub-Zero sighed then. "Let's get going…"

The group sat next to the water, cast out their fishing poles, then did the only thing they could do… wait. All became silent with the exception of Dan humming random songs to himself.

"I should've brought my laptop," said Ginzu.

"It's best that you didn't," Wolfman answered. "Just in case someone bumps into you and you drop it in the water."

"True," Ginzu sighed.

"So what do you think the girls are doing?" asked Guy. "I know Rose was going to send them out to get food as well."

"Hopefully they are not killing each other," replied Cody.

"They'll be fine," said Nightwolf.

Cody looked over at the Native American. "You know, I don't see you around much. What's your story?"

Nightwolf looked over at Cody. "My occupation is a historian and shaman. I am also a leader of a small tribe and my job is to protect our sacred land. I have contact with Raiden through visions and he was the one who suggested I enter the tournament."

"So you didn't receive an actual invitation from a Shadow Priest like the rest of us?" asked Ryu.

"Actually, I did receive an invitation," the tribe leader replied. "After I did, I had received visions of something I cannot explain much."

Jin looked over at Nightwolf then, finding interest in the conversation. "Can you describe the visions to us?"

Nightwolf was silent for a moment before continuing. "There were of chaos and destruction. Evil spirits loomed around destroyed cities. The sky was a blood red and it nearly rained small fireballs. I can't pinpoint why I get these visions, but I have the feeling that it may have something to do with this tournament."

Everyone fell silent then, not sure of what to make of the story. Lei swallowed then and said, "Well… your visions don't always come true, do they?"

"Not always. However, this one is quite strong so I am being cautious. I have already talked to Raiden and Rose about this and they have taken my word for it."

"We'll take your word for it as well," said Wolfman. "Thank you for providing us with his information."

Kenshi sighed. "Something tells me that something bad is going to happen after this tournament."

"We'll see once we get full-on evidence," said Wolfman.

It was then that Dan suddenly jumped up. "Hey! I think I got something!"

Everyone turned their heads towards Dan. His fishing pole was being pulled further into the water. The Saikyo fighter grabbed the pole and tried to wheel it in, but then found himself having trouble.

"It looks like it's going to be a big one!" cried McCoy. They all went behind Dan and helped each other pull the fish in. Even with their strength combined, they still struggled a bit to pull back.

Finally, they managed to get the fish out of the water and were quite shocked by what they saw. The fish was seven feet in length, was a mixed color of orange and red, and had multiple fins and eyes.

"I see why the girls didn't go fishing with us," said Guy.

They pulled the fish further out of the water. Once they were done, Sub-Zero used his kori powers to freeze the fish so it stayed fresh.

"Wow, that fish is big enough to feed the entire cave for a year," said Ginzu. "Does that mean we're done?"

"Unfortunately no," answered Wolfman. "Raiden had said that we have to catch at least five fishes and now we have four to go. I assume they may all be the same size."

Everyone grumbled as they returned to sit down and became bored once again.

Meanwhile, Rose had sent out another group, consisting of Chun Li, Cammy, Lita, Yin, Julia, Sonya, Alex, and Li Mei, to go into the forest and pick out berries. Raiden has assured then that none of the berries in the forests of Outworld were poisonous, which was a bit of a surprise to all of them.

Li Mei began talking then. "This is fun, I like berries, do you all like berries, I especially like the red and green ones…"

She continued talking in run-on sentences and the other women decided to chose to ignore her and let her talk.

"I'm glad Rose is letting us to do this," said Julia. "I always do things like this in Arizona during the summer."

"I really am looking forward to trying new recipes with these berries," mentioned Yin.

"You should try the berries in Florida," answered Alex. "They have always been the best to me."

"I wonder what the berries are like here," said Lita. She sighed to herself then. "I still can't believe I lost the tournament."

"Don't stress about it," replied Chun Li. "What matters most is that you did your best."

The group fell silent then, unsure of what to say next. Soon, they all reached in area full of bushes. Those who have never been to Outworld were quite surprised by the size of the berries.

"Wow," said Cammy. "They're more like plums to me."

"I practically lived off of these the last time I was here," said Sonya. "Let's start picking."

The group began picking as many berries as they can fit in their bags (which Rose provided to them).

"I wonder what these taste like," wondered Yin.

"Well, we can't eat them right now," replied Cammy. "We'll have to wait until we-"

Suddenly, they heard a snorting noise just behind them. Everyone turned around just in time to see what looked like a wart hog the size of a lion. Aside from it's size, it looked like a normal wart hog, except that it had four eyes instead of the usual two.

"Uh oh," mumbled Sonya.

Unfortunately, Lita had heard her say that. "What do you mean, 'uh oh?'" the Delta Red soldier asked a bit weary.

Sonya let out a small sigh. "Outworld wart hogs aren't exactly… friendly."

The wart hog grunted then and angrily dug it's left front hoof into the ground as though it was getting ready to charge at the group.

"Get ready to run…" Cammy said, slightly trailing off. All the girls became frighten and were just getting ready to run.

Suddenly, one of the trees closest to the wart hog began moving. The girls' eyes widened in shock as three holes, looking like a set of eyes and mouth, began to develop. The wart hog had noticed the movements then and turned around to face it. Before the creature would react, however, the tree brought down it's branches, pushed it towards it, and shoved it into it's mouth. A small squeal came to the girls' ears before a crunch was heard.

"RUN!" Sonya screamed out. The girls shrieked then and began running out of the forest in fear.

A little while later, Rose looked over at Sakura, Ibuki, Mika, Asuka, Maki, and Cassandra with a bit of disappointment on her face. "You girls are quite the peeping toms, aren't you?"

All six girls fell more silent than usual and had their heads hung down. Since the incident, they had dried up and changed clothes (except Cassandra who's own clothes were still drenched). Rose continued then. "Have you girls learned a lesson from this?"

"Yes Rose," the girls said in sync.

Rose then looked at Cassandra. "And you even brought this poor girl into the situation as well."

That was when the rest of the girls of the cave came running into the cave. Rose looked over at them. "How was the berry picking?"

"We were almost killed!" cried Cammy.

"And we weren't even aware of crazy wart hogs and eating trees!" yelled Lita.

“I did, but I thought you knew about them already or else I would've said something earlier,” said Li Mei.

Sonya sighed. "It was my fault, I should've informed you all about the living trees in certain parts of the forest."

"Actually I wish I never knew," answered Alex.

That was when the guys came back into the cave dragging four seven foot fishes. Raiden came in and looked at the fishes. "Where's the fifth fish?"

Guy sighed. "We almost had him, but he almost ate our faces off so we had to let him go."

"I see." Then Raiden turned to Rose. " I hope you don't mind that I eavesdropped on your conversation… Rose, you really don't know much about Outworld, do you?"

Rose folded her arms more mad than before. "Well excuse me if you don't provide me with much of the information! My psychic powers seems to have gone dormant ever since we arrived here."

"Will you two PLEASE stop arguing?" cried out Asuka. "You both have been arguing with each other ever since we got here!"

Raiden sighed. "I suppose we have."

"Yes," Rose said. "We should stop arguing Raiden." And with that, Rose left with Raiden spitting his tongue out behind her back. "Do that again and I'll rip it right out of your mouth!" Rose spat. Raiden kept silent then.

Cassandra stood up then. "I guess I should get going."

Raiden turned to her. "Actually, you should stay with us, Cassandra. Get your stuff and come back here immediately, you are now part of the chosen ones. I sense a pure heart and soul within and you would be a great addition to our cause. I will explain everything once you get back."

Cassandra was a bit shocked to hear this, especially when he said her name. "Um, okay… then I'll be back." She then headed out of the cave. _Anything to get out of that boring palace!_

~~~

**Main Palace**

Sindel, Kitana, and Jade were heading back to their rooms after their meal at the dining quarters. It was the later evening and it was nice to be able to sit around in the quieter time to be in the quarters. Even for a late dinner, the food tasted as fresh as it was when it came out of the oven.

"I am quite proud of the three of us," said Sindel. "Within the last two days, we have all been able to make it to round two."

"It is nice," Jade replied. "It makes me wonder though. What would happen if one of us won the entire tournament? What would we do with that medallion?"

"Perhaps we could use it to our advantage to bring peace to Edenia," Kitana suggested. "And if we don't win, let us hope that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

The Princess turned her head then. Coming up towards them, she recognized the man coming up to them. He was the blonde, handsome man in armor she had noticed at the dining quarters when they first arrived in Outworld. Kitana had secretly daydreamed about this man, but she didn't think that she would see him again.

It was then that the man noticed her and he stopped. Both gazed at each other before he bent down to his knees and bowed his head. "Forgive me your majesties for not bowing to you soon enough."

Sindel smiled at the gesture. "Rise, you do not need to bow to us as with everyone else in this tournament. How do you know of us anyway? I assume by your clothing that you are not from Edenia."

The man nodded. "No, I'm from Keisei, but I have heard of you. You all the royal family of Edenia. My name is Siegfried Schtauffen of the realm of Keisei."

"It's... a pleasure to meet you," Kitana replied as she found herself gazing into his blue eyes. She was happy to now know a bit more about this man. Siegfried… she liked the name. To her, it suited him well.

The small smirk that was on Siegfried's face faded then. He looked down at his right hand, which was covered with a black leather glove. Kitana noticed that the hand was slightly shaking and was just about to ask if he was all right.

"I must go, excuse me," Siegfried suddenly said. He quickly past his way around the Edenian royals, cursing himself for being rude to them at that moment.

All three of them watched him until he turned a corner and disappeared. Kitana felt her heart sink a little bit. Something wasn't right then, but she couldn't figure out what it could possibly be.

Jade interrupted her thoughts then. "He must've been in a rush for something. No matter, let us return to our room."

"Yes," Sindel said. Kitana sighed then and began to follow her mother and her best friend. They walked a little more down the hallway before reaching their room. They entered and closed the door behind them.

Throughout the incident, a guard had been watching nearby. He had eavesdropped on the conversation and acted as emotionless as possible. Once the Edenian royals returned to their rooms, he quickly went down the hall and made his way back downstairs and into a dark area where no one usually walked through.

The guard turned his head to scan the area as though he was making sure no one was around. Then, a green glow surrounded his body and his body structure and physical features quickly changed.

The person was now Shang Tsung himself. He was proud to have the ability to shape shift into any of the souls he had devoured for himself and to copy those he had been in contact with. This advantage gave him the confirmation that the royals of Edenia were indeed participating in the tournament, as reported earlier by one of his Shadow Priests after all three of them won the tournament.

Shang Tsung walked a little further until he was face to face with a young, dark haired woman. She wore a pink and black attire which left little to the imagination and she wore a matching colored veil that covered the bottom half of her face and neck.

The sorcerer smirked at the woman. "It has been confirmed, Mileena. The Edenian royals are indeed participating in the tournament. I will let you… take care of them in two days in the living forest. I will personally send them out there for you."

Mileena's eyes, which were a mix of yellow and red, seemed to gleam in pleasure. "Yes master," she hissed.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

The next day, everyone gather into all the arenas on the island to watch more matches take place once again. After today, only three more days would follow before the end of the first of eight rounds in the tournament.

In the indoor arena, Xianghua stood where she was within the audience as she watched match after match for what seemed like a while. Today, she was scheduled for her match. Kilik and Maxi were going to fight today as well, but as of now, they were off at the courtyard where their matches would take place. She had hoped that they would show up to see her match, but as more time passed, she began to have the feeling that it wasn't going to happen. She felt disappointed, but she wasn't going to let that bother her. She had to focus on winning today.

Soon, the match that was currently going ended. _I hope I'm up next,_ the Keisei native thought with a sigh.

Once the arena was completely cleared out, the Shadow Priest stood up and announced the next fighter. "Alora!"

A young, blond haired woman stepped into the arena. She had a sword in her right hand and wore a laced blue battle dress. Xianghua admired the attire Alora wore, wondering why she would wear such a beautiful dress to a match.

Soon, Alora's opponent was announced. "Xianghua!"

Xianghua smiled a little bit as she stepped into the ring. At least she would make sure not to get the dress ruined.

Alora looked at Xianghua as she approached the middle of the ring. "That's such a nice outfit you're wearing. Where did you get it from?"

Xianghua was a bit surprised to hear that from Alora. After all, she was only wearing a simple outfit containing red slippers, maroon colored shorts, a matching qipao shirt with gold trims at the biceps as well as white flowers on the stomach area, and her only accessories were a pair of blue and red bracelets, one on each arm. However, she decided to answer back. "My home in Keisei. I love the dress that you're wearing."

Alora smiled a bit as she got into a fighting stance. "It's from my home in Lagol. Now, let's try not to ruin our clothes, shall we?"

Xianghua nodded and got into her own fighting stance.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out. Both Xianghua and Alora stood there, the both of them wondering who was going to start up the match first.

After another brief moment, Xianghua decided to get moving. She ran over to her opponent and swung her sword at her. Immediately, Alora blocked with her own sword. The two then exchanged moves, both of them switching their offense and defense.

As they fought, Xianghua noticed that Alora barely moved her feet and slightly wondered why her opponent was doing such a thing. The young Keisei native stepped back a bit then, wondering if Alora would step forward to continue her attacks.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck down just next to Xianghua. "AAH!" she cried out while jumping back. Immediately after, she looked over at Alora. Her sword had been raised in the air and small electric sparks surrounded the blade.

Xianghua's brown eyes widened a bit. "What the…" she started to say.

Alora grinned a bit. "Oh, you were wondering where that came from, right? Well, I guess I forgot to mention that my sword is also a magic wand."

"Oh really?" Xianghua said getting back into her fighting stance.

"Yes," Alora answered with a cheeky grin. "Being a sorceress has it's benefits."

 _Looks like I'll have to be prepared for anything,_ Xianghua thought with a quiet sigh. After the thought, the young woman ran towards her opponent again. She jabbed her sword at her, but Alora immediately blocked. Once again, the two exchanged moves, the sound of steel hitting against steal heard all around the arena.

As the fight continued on, Xianghua was able to hear a soft, feminine voice within her mind. _Cut your path through an uncertain future…_

 _Mother…_ Xianghua thought. She didn't know why the quote came to her now as she continued to fight. However, she was well aware that these were the last words her mother said to her before she passed away from illness ten years ago. Perhaps it was a sign that her mother was with her now and whether she lost today or not, she was proud of her daughter.

However, Xianghua wasn't about to lose, even if Alora was a powerful sorceress. Her only plan for now is to avoid her magical attacks and use all of her momentum until she was able to tire Alora out. As a matter of fact, the Keisei native began to wondered how long it actually would take before she was able to tire Alora out.

Alora took a step back then. She managed to push Xianghua's sword to the side with her own. Immediately, a light blue energy formed around the weapon. Alora quickly pointed the weapon down and a layer of ice formed under Xianghua's feet.

Xianghua was surprised to suddenly find her feet sliding from underneath her. Using the muscles in her legs, the young woman managed to stop herself from slipping any further. Then she wondered how she was going to get out of that situation when she noticed Alora beginning to thrust her sword towards her, aiming for her left shoulder.

Not wanting her own blood drawn from her body right now, Xianghua took a small step forward and let herself slip on the ice below her and she fell back into the ground. She used her elbows to keep the back of her head from smacking against the ground. Once Xianghua landed, pain quickly shot up and down through her small framed body.

"Owe!" she cried out. Xianghua looked up then just in time to see Alora bringing her sword down towards her. "Yipe!" she cried out quickly rolling out of the way. Alora ended up stabbing into the ice causing it to shatter into countless, sharp pieces.

Xianghua got herself on her feet, ignoring the increasing pain in her elbows. The light blue energy that surrounded Alora's sword quickly changed into a fiery red with a tint of orange. A smirk appeared on the sorceress' face.

 _Oh great,_ the Keisei woman thought not looking forward to what was now in store for her.

"It's has gotten a bit chilly in here," Alora said. "How about I warm the ring up, shall we?"

Alora thrust her sword in the air and small fireballs emerged out of the tip of the blade. They each flew towards the end of the ring and surrounded Alora and Xianghua one by once until it completed a circle of fire. The audience watching seemed quite impressed and they clapped in union after the task was completed.

It has suddenly grown hot and Xianghua felt a few beads of sweat on her forehead. She began to realize that the heat will get her tired sooner than she hoped. She quickly shook her head and prepared for Alora's next attack.

The fiery red aura continued to float around Alora's sword. She then brought it back a little bit, then shot it forward. A small ball of flames came out of the sword and began speeding it's way towards Xianghua. Xianghua thought all was good as she took a few steps to the side. However, as soon as she did that, the flames slightly turned and began heading back towards her again.

 _Uh oh,_ Xianghua thought. She realized that this was a trailing fire, one that won't stop following it's target until it makes contact. Xianghua began running and dodging around from the fire.

At one point, she was about a foot away from Alora, though she didn't realize it at that point. She faced the fire and when it was less than a foot away, Xianghua dodged away from it's path again. As the element attempted to turn, it ended up hitting Alora. Xianghua watched as Alora went flying a few feet across the ring as the flames dispersed.

Alora let out a shriek until she landed hard on the ground. Xianghua stood up, expecting her opponent to stand up once she recovered. Instead, Alora let out a few soft, painful moans before slipping into unconsciousness.

"Winner: Xianghua!" the Shadow Priest called out. People clapped in union again for her victory.

However, Xianghua was very disappointed with the match. To her, Alora had the match and it was inevitable that she was going to be the winner of the two. Instead, luck was behind the Keisei native, but Xianghua just couldn't help the feeling that weighed on her. She even noticed that parts of Alora's once-beautiful dressed not had burn marks on them. It made her a bit more sad, knowing the feeling of having your favorite outfit ruined.

As she quietly stepped out of the ring, she looked around at the audience. She sighed to herself, realizing that neither Kilik or Maxi managed to show up on time…

~~~

**Beach Arena**

"Sonya Blade!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Sonya immediately tightened her short, black fighting gloves and looked over at her friends. "Looks like I'm up," she said.

"Good luck Lieutenant," said Guile.

"Kick whoever's butt you're going to kick!" said Ginzu with a grin.

Sonya nodded and began walking to the middle of the ring. The ground was all nothing but sand, which was a bit of a relief considering that the ground of the other arenas were a bit harder depending on the materials. As she walked through the sand, some of the particles were picked up by her black combat boots, slightly flying in the air before quickly falling back down to the ground.

She reached the middle and looked over at the Shadow Priest who stood in front of the large throne that was used for it's comfort during the matches that lasted through the day. It then called out her opponent. "LBJ!"'

 _What kind of name is that?_ Sonya thought raising an eyebrow. She then spotted a tall man in black tight pants and a black cowboy hat just taking off his jacket. Next to him, a midget man in a business suit took his jacket for him. "Go get 'em boss!" he said, his raspy, high-pitched voice ringing in Sonya's ears.

Only nodding, LBJ also gave the midget his hat, then stepped into the ring. He slightly looked up and down at his blonde opponent. "Hello little lady. Don't be thinking that just because you're a woman that I won't take it easy on you."

Sonya immediately got into her fighting stance, choosing to use her Tae Kwan Do fighting style. "Don't worry about it. I can handle much more than you think."

LBJ laughed at the comment and got into his fighting stance. "Good because I like a girl who can handle a lot." He winked at her then.

Sonya rolled her eyes in response. _Great, I'm going to be fighting a pervert._

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Neither combatants wasted no time after the call. They both sprinted towards each other and immediately delivered punches at each other. However, their forearms ended up connecting instead. Then, LBJ immediately used his other arm to throw another punch at Sonya, but she ended up blocking the move.

This continued like this with Sonya on defense and LBJ on offense. Sonya admitted to herself that her large opponent was pretty strong. Whenever he threw a punch, her own blocks were pushed back, always just a few millimeters away from her face. However, she had the feeling that he was rather all muscle and no brains, at least she hoped. She was going to have to use her own wits to win this match if she wanted to get into round two of the tournament.

Just behind LBJ, Sonya was able to hear the screeching sound of the midget cheering for his boss. By the blank look on his face, she figured that he must've grown used to the annoying voice at his point.

Suddenly, Sonya felt a kick to her stomach, the wind quickly knocked out of her. She cursed herself then because she had expected her opponent to throw only punches at her since that was what he had been doing since the round began. He then brought his elbow down and hit Sonya on the small of her back. She let out a short scream as she collapsed on her stomach and into the sand.

LBJ grinned sadistically then, having the satisfaction that he now had his opponent under this thumb. He began to believe then that he was indeed going to win this match. He began to lift his foot up, but then Sonya rolled a few feet away from him, realizing that she was vulnerable of his attacks. Once she was out of the way, she sat herself up.

The large man walked over to her them. He was about to kick her again when suddenly, Sonya performed an on-ground somersault. She then brought her hands out, placed then on the ground, and pushed the rest of her body up. The blond Lieutenant then used her long legs to wrap them around LBJ's neck. Finally, with all of her strength, she brought him forward and managed to flip him behind her, sending him flying a few feet.

As Sonya got back on her two feet, LBJ landed hard on his back letting out a small 'oof.' Once he realized that he didn't fall into unconsciousness, he growled to himself, then got himself back up. He turned around to see his female opponent staring back at him with her blue eyes, waiting for him to recover.

"Why you little-" he started to say. LBJ ended up not finishing his sentence and began running back towards Sonya with a small battle cry. Once he was close enough, Sonya stepped aside and let him pass. LBJ was a bit confused at first, but before he could turn around, Sonya kicked him in the back. LBJ stumbled a few feet forward, but managed to regain his balance without falling into the ground once again.

"Don't let her fool you boss!" the midget cried out from the sidelines.

LBJ growled a bit. "Could you shut up for once, Jones?!" he yelled out. And for the first time since the match began, Jones kept his mouth shut. LBJ then turned his attention back to Sonya. "You're going to pay for your foolishness!"

Sonya rolled her eyes again. "Oh please, you're the real fool in his fight."

That angered LBJ and he immediately ran over to his opponent. Sonya smirked and quickly put both of her hands out. Her hands glowed in a pink aura at first. Unfortunately for her opponent, he hadn't noticed right away, at least until a large, pink, ring-like energy projected out of her hands. Four more followed the first ring and they all shot out and hit their target.

Once again, LBJ was flown back from the force. This time, out of the ring. Sonya was a bit surprised at this, not realizing that they were that close to the edge of the ring. No matter, it meant that she won this match.

"Winner: Sonya!" the Shadow Priest called out. Everyone clapped as Sonya stepped out of the ring. As she did, she noticed Jones running over to LBJ, then began fanning him with the cowboy had as LBJ laid on the ground in a daze.

"You're gonna be all right, boss," Jones said.

"Just shut up," LBJ mumbled.

Sonya sighed, glad that it was over, and approached Guile. "Well, I won."

"Congratulations," Ginzu said with a thumb's up.

Guile patted Sonya's shoulder. "It was fun, but Ginzu and I should be getting back to the cave. There's some things that we needed to catch up on."

"All right," Sonya answered. "If you don't mind, I'm going to watch a match or two, then I'll catch up with you all."

"We'll see you then," Guile said. Then he and Ginzu made their way out of the ground. Once they were out of sight, Sonya faced the empty ring, prepared to watch the next match.

The Shadow Priest finally spoke then. "Li Mei!"

Sonya saw Li Mei step into the ring, obviously excited that she was finally called up. She sort of knew her as the girl who constantly talked in run-on sentences. She was also the girl who happened to bump into Alex and became a 'chosen one' in the tournament. Sonya became curious then, wondering what kind of fighting skills Li Mei possessed.

Li Mei's opponent was called out then. "Toxik!"

Immediately, a young woman stepped into the ring. Her hair was dyed pinkish-red, her lips covered with black lipstick. Her outfit consisted of a black tank top, a small hot pink vest, black short shorts, mid-thigh black boots, and a black golfer's hat with the rim pulled forward.

Toxik walked over to Li Mei. She managed to cover space between them and gave her a stare down, expecting Li Mei to do the same thing. Instead, Li Mei smiled. "Hi there, I really like your eyes," she said looked at her opponent's green eyes.

A small smirk crept up on Toxik's face and she slightly licked her lips. "I'm so going to have fun beating you up, little girl."

Then, just as the Shadow Priest called for the match to begin, Toxik managed to quickly turn Li Mei around and got her in a headlock. Li Mei was a bit surprised by this and struggled to get out of the hold. However, Toxik had a strong grip and getting out of it was going to be hard.

"Having fun now?" Toxik asked sadistically as Li Mei continued to struggle. "Because I know I am."

After a few more moments, Toxik finally released Li Mei from her grip, forcing the young woman to stumble a bit. Toxik then decided to give Li Mei some humiliation by giving her a quick spank. Whistling could be heard from the men watching the match.

Shock came over Li Mei before she turned to face her opponent. She then let out a growl. “That wasn't nice!” From there, Li Mei attempted to throw a punch.

However, Toxik suddenly moved sideways before she kicked the back of Li Mei's shin, sending the poor girl flying back with a small cry of surprise. Toxik then grabbed one of Li Mei's legs and got it in an ankle lock.

Shocking pain suddenly hit Li Mei and she began screaming for mercy as she struggled to get out of yet another submission lock. A sadistic grin came over Toxik as she received the satisfaction of inflicting her opponent with as much pain as possible.

"Give it up!" Toxik called out to her. "I'm going to win this!"

Li Mei stopped screaming then, suddenly filled with determination. "I don't think so!" she called back. She put one of her hands out in front of her. To Toxik's surprise, a ball of purple sparkling energy burst out of her hand. A trail of small lights fell from behind it, disappearing before it would hit the ground.

Toxik didn't have time to react and was hit by the projectile. With a surprise-like cry, Toxik flew a few feet back before landing in the sand. Once she did, the pink-haired woman rolled a few more feet before coming to a stop. By then, Li Mei was back up on her two feet, much more prepared to fight her opponent this time. Toxik too got back on her feet after a few moments of recovering.

"So," Toxik said with another grin. She reached to her side to a leather pouch that was on her hip. She grabbed a hit and pulled out a black paddle. "You want to play rough now?"

Not caring what was going to happen next, Li Mei sprinted over to her opponent. Once she was close enough, Toxik swung the paddle in hopes of hitting her opponent. To her surprise, Li Mei managed to dodge the attacks.

"I'll show you who's tough!" the young woman called out. She then jumped forward and managed to tackle Toxik to the ground. The both of them threw punches at one another and pulled at each other's hair a few times. In the meantime, they rolled around in hopes of dominating the other.

Then, to their surprise, they found themselves rolling out of the ring. "CRAP!" they cried out. When they landed, Toxik was on her back and Li Mei was on top of her with a single foot still in the ring.

Immediately, the Shadow Priest stood up. "The winner of this match is Li Mei. Both feet must be out of the ring for a ring-out to occur."

"WHAT?!" Toxik screamed out, a hint of rage shown in her voice. Li Mei quickly pulled herself off of her opponent and stood up.

"You heard him, I won," Li Mei said.

"I will not accept defeat, not by someone like you!" Toxik attempted to jump back into the ring to attack Li Mei. Luckily, the people near her saw this coming and immediately grabbed Toxik and pulled her back.

"LET ME GO!" the pink-haired woman demanded. However, no one listened. She was in too much anger and had to stay far from Li Mei.

Once everything was calm, Sonya stepped into the ring and jogged over to Li Mei. "You all right?"

To her surprise, Li Mei smiled. "Yeah, I had a good time, especially since I won."

"That's good to hear," Sonya continued with a sigh of relief. "Come on, let's go back to the cave, I'll make us some of Julia's tea."

"Great!" Li Mei cried out as the two of them made their way out of the beach arena. "Hey, aren't you from Earth because I've always wanted to visit and everything-"

Sonya had to shake her head in amusement as Li Mei continued her run-on sentences.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"Damn it!" Ashrah cried out. After receiving a kick to the back, the former demon of the Netherrealm fell forward, cursing under her breath more for letting herself be open for an attack.

Ashrah looked over at her opponent who went by the name Zena. She was an android from the realm of Lagol as far as the former huntress figured. The metal on her was of black and green including what was supposed to be eyes. The only other thing that distinguished her from the other androids was her long blonde hair, which was pulled back in a high ponytail.

"Come on…" Ashrah mumbled as she managed to get back on her feet. She stood in her fighting stance, ready for more. It had only been two minutes since the fight began, but Ashrah had the feeling that this one was going to last a while. Zena wasn't exactly the fastest opponent, but she was definitely a strong one.

The two had a bit of a stare down from where they were, waiting for the other to make the next move. Finally, Ashrah decided to be the first to make a move and ran towards her. Once she reached her, the two exchanged a few punches and kicks until Ashrah managed to kick her in the abdomen, forcing the android to stumble back a bit. Because parts of her were made of metal, Ashrah's foot immediately began to throb, but she ignored it, not wanting it to take her attention away from the fight.

Once Zena was able to regain her balance, she immediately put an arm out, her hand sinking into a dark hole that formed at the wrist. Ashrah didn't know what to expect until a loud _BOOM!_ was heard. The former demon narrowly dodge the missile that was fired at her. It flew out of the ring (forcing some of the audience to duck out of the way), and then exploded against a wall.

Ashrah ran over to Zena during that time. However, Zena was ready and attacked her with more rounds of punches and kicks with her opponent on defense.

The exchange went on for some time before Ashrah pulled back, her right hand covered in a glowing white light. She quickly pointed upward and a ball of light shot out into the air with glitter trailing behind it. The light flew up until it was directly above Zena, then quickly shot back down. However, Zena managed to see the attack and quickly dodged out of the way.

Ashrah figured that would happened and she had another light projectile ready to go. While Zena was still distracted, Ashrah shot the projectile straight at her and by the time Zena saw it coming, she was already hit. The light burst, causing everyone watching to briefly be temporary blind.

When the light cleared, Ashrah was a bit surprised to see that Zena was malfunctioning, electric sparks surrounding the rapidly shaking android. This last for a few moments until the shaking and electric sparks finally halt. The lights that were previously on Zena were now off and smoke fizzled from different places. Ashrah wondered if this counted as a death in the match, knowing full well that she would be disqualified from the tournament if that was the case.

The Shadow Priest running the matches in the courtyard stood up then. "As an android, Zena is capable of being fixed after malfunctions and does not count as a death in the match. Therefore, Ashrah gets the win."

Everyone clapped as Ashrah sighed of relief. Without any more acknowledgment, the former demon start to depart from the courtyard and out of the area.

~~~

**Late that night, Underground Lair**

The matches in all the other locations were long finished and only those in the Underground Lair were left for the night. Shao Kahn continued to watch these battles from his balcony in hopes of finding more recruits for his army. In the meantime, it was also the place to test the fighting skills of his current warriors.

The Emperor was now watching a match between his new recruit Quan Chi and a Earth druid by the name of Gar. He wore a red traditional male Japanese kimono, black slippers and bore short white hair and a full beard. He may have been an elder, but Shao Kahn was able to sense great power within the druid.

Quan Chi and Gar fought hand-to-hand for some time after Shang Tsung called the fight to begin. As it continued on, Shao Kahn was starting to grow a bit bored. It was starting to become another generic fight and the Emperor admitted to himself that he was ready to cut his throat out. However, it would soon turn out that the two combatants were merely saving their true potentials for later.

Gar pulled back from his opponent and lifted both of his arms up into the air. From mid-air, two swords appeared in his hands and once they were fully developed, Gar immediately attacked. However, Quan Chi was prepared and he quickly drew out his double broadswords. The two quickly exchanged moves before pulling back and getting into stances. Once then, the audience clapped in unison, impressed by their actions in the ring.

After a moment, they continued to exchange sword moves, the sounds of them hitting each other heard around the room. Then, to Quan Chi's surprise, Gar managed to put full force on his swords and managed to knock the sorcerer's weapons right out of his hands.

 _You fool,_ Quan Chi thought, narrowing his eyes at his opponent. While Gar pulled back from his last move, Quan Chi jumped up and performed a double kick to Gar's torso, forcing him to drop his weapons as well. Once they were released, both swords dispersed into thin air. They once again exchanged more hand-to-hand fighting, this time in a much faster pace.

After a while of this, Gar jumped back once again. He his hands in front of him and began spinning them over the other in a fast rhythm. He was able to collect energy from the environment around him with small, bright red lights appearing and drawing to his hands. A ball of red energy grew bigger and bigger around his hands and once he was ready, he shot the energy at his opponent.

Because of the time it took for the energy ball to develop, Quan Chi was able to find the time to dodge out of the way of the speeding projectile. As he did, green energy formed in his hands and once he was fully out of the way of Gar's projectile, Quan Chi shot out his own projectile.

Gar became horrified by the green projectile that was coming after him. It was in the shape of a grinning skull, it's black beady eyes glaring at him in such a sadistic way that it sent chills up the druid's spine.

Before he was able to get out of the way after the short daze, Gar was hit by the skull and the force pushed him back to the edge of the ring. The skull projectile had stung into Gar's body and tremendously weakened him. Normally, one would only lay there and take the pain, but because Gar was an elder, he fell into unconsciousness, much to Quan Chi's pleasure.

"Winner: Quan Chi!" Shang Tsung announced. The audience immediately applauded the sorcerer as he left the ring.

_He's not as bad as I thought, Shao Kahn thought as Quan Chi disappeared into the crowd. The sorcerer wielded useful and unique powers, at least that's what it seemed during the match. _It indeed was a good idea to recruit him into my army.__

_Soon the next two fighters were announced. First was an Edenian by the name of Mars. He dressed in a green gi, walked barefooted, and his short, auburn hair was sleeked back neatly. Once he was in the ring, he threw a couple of punches and kicks in the air to warm up._

_The next fighter was then announced. Shao Kahn mentally nodded in approval as one of his Generals of his army stepped into the ring. It was the very loyal General by the name of Reptile. He wore a traditional Chinese ninja outfit. It was mostly black with dark green and gold trimmings around his chest and mask area, the mask being in a bit of shreds Green scaly skin appeared in open parts of the mask revealing why he was called Reptile. His yellow eyes also glared at Mars._

_Mars stared back at him as well. He felt a bit awkward by the fact that he would be fighting this creature. Then again, he has seen uglier fighters than him since the tournament began. Without keeping their eyes off of each other, the two got into their battle stances._

_"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out._

_Immediately, Reptile and Mars went after each other and exchanged punches and kicks at one another. For a while, they were quite even, but slowly, Reptile started to get the upper hand and soon he was in control of the fight._

_Then, the Emperor's General stepped back, crouched to the ground, and quickly rolled over. Mars was caught in surprise and he fell forward. Once he was on the ground, Reptile was able to get up with quick speed. He walked over to his opponent and then rapidly stepped on his opponent with his foot. Mars growled in pain, trying to grab a hold of Reptile's leg, but it was no use. The only thing Mars could do was roll out of the way, which was what he did._

_Mars laid on the ground for a moment before getting back up on his feet. He then turned around to face his opponent. Instead, he was met with something unexpected… a glob of green acid sprayed in the Edenian's face. Though he didn't see it, Reptile had taken his mask off, revealing more of his face, and spit acid from his mouth._

_Mars screamed in agony as the acid burned his skin. He was also blinded by the acid and he wondered if he'll be permanently be like this for the rest of his life. Because of it, he decided to forfeit the fight, knowing that he couldn't fight any longer in this condition._

_However, Reptile decided that for him. With a quick kick, Reptile managed to kick Mars, forcing him to stumble out of the ring. Immediately his allies rushed over to him, helped him up, and quickly got out of the lair with Mars still screaming from the burns._

_Shang Tsung smirked with amusement as he stood up. "Winner: Reptile!"_

_Reptile placed his mask back over his head, giving him the human-like look once again. The audience wasn't sure whether to applaud or not after the incident with Mars. Soon, they all started to slowly clap in union._

_Shao Kahn smirked to himself as his General left the ring with satisfaction. _Good. It would seem as though everything is going well so far in this tournament…__


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Underground Arena**

Match after match went out throughout the evening. Some were quick and some lasted much longer than anticipated. Shang Tsung watched over the matches much more carefully than normal. Emperor Shao Kahn was not able to attend tonight's tournament under unknown circumstances, and he had asked the sorcerer to pick candidates for people with enough ability to be in their army.

Shang Tsung would sigh in disappointment quietly after each match. All of the fighters, winners or not, were lacking the ability that would qualify them for the position. The sorcerer wanted to at least find one qualified person in order to satisfy the Emperor and give a better reason for Shang Tsung to stick around longer, just in case anything went wrong that would cause him his life.

After some time, three competitions in a row finally caught Shang Tsung's interest. The first was one between someone named Duck Ward, a stupid name in the sorcerer's opinion. Then there was his opponent known simply by the name of Sodom.

Sodom bore two types of weapons on him… a pair of long katanas and a pair of jittes. The sorcerer had seen many fighters wielding various weapons, but he had never seen one who possessed two different weapons that came in pairs.

Duck Ward only held a broadsword on him. Despite Sodom having multiple weapons, Duck Ward showed no desire to hold back. The fight was going to be quite interesting…

"Begin!" the sorcerer called out. And immediately, the two fighters went after one another.

Steel clashed with steel throughout the entire fight. At first, Duck Ward seemed to have the advantage, taking most of the offense with his opponent being on defense. In the beginning, Sodom used his jittes, weapons that were smaller than his opponent's broadsword.

Eventually, Sodom was forced to use his double katanas. In a blink of an eye, he placed his jittes back in his belt, then took out the swords and blocked an incoming move from Duck Ward. The watchers of the match were impressed by Sodom's speed and applauded once the two fighters were back in their stances.

After a moment of that, the two continued their match. This time, Sodom was on offense, his two blades beginning to overpower Duck Ward's single blade. Duck Ward was soon backed towards the edge of the ring and within a minute, Sodom took advantage of it. The blue-masked fighter lifted a leg and kicked Duck Ward hard in the abdomen and flew a few feet back out of the ring. The viewers who were behind Duck Ward quickly moved out of the way before they were able to be knocked to the ground.

Shang Tsung realized that the fight was officially over and he immediately stood up. "Winner: Sodom!"

As how it always was at the end of the match, the viewers applauded in unison. Silently as he has been the whole time, Sodom placed his katanas back in his belt, then left the ring. He blended into the crowd then, so it was not known if he was going to stay to watch the next few matches or if he had left the lair for the night.

It was no matter to the sorcerer. "We shall begin the next match!" He paused for a moment before announcing the first fighter of the match. "Jubei!"

A Japanese man in black and red samurai armor stepped into the ring. Once he was in the ring, he immediately took out his katana, prepared for whoever he was going to face.

It was only Shang Tsung who knew. "Kabal!"

The Black Dragon clan leader stepped into the ring, with one double hooksword in each hand. A bit of surprise came upon Jubei's face. He wasn't sure whether to be shock by his appearance or his unusual weapons. Either way, he was determined to win this fight and move on to the next round. After a stare down from their places, both fighters stood in their fighting stances.

Shang Tsung knew then that they were ready for battle. "Begin!" he called out once again before sitting down.

Once the match was called, Kabal and Jubei slowly circled each other in the ring, watching for the other to make the first move. Eventually, Jubei grew impatient and decided to make the first move. He charged after Kabal and swung his sword, in which Kabal blocked with his hooksword.

Once again, steel against steel was heard around the room. Both Kabal and Jubei seemed to play both offense and defense, neither one of them being able to overpower the other just yet.

Soon, Kabal was able to find an opening and aimed one of his free blades at Jubei's arm. Jubei managed to see the strike in time and leaned back, only having a bit of his sleeve opened up, just missing his skin by a millimeter.

More of this continued, and for a moment, Shang Tsung thought neither of these fighters were worthy to be in the growing army. That was… until Kabal began to have the upper hand.

With unimagined speed, Kabal quickly ran passed Jubei, causing him to spin in rapid speed, fast enough to the point where Jubei ended up in a form of a tornado. Once Kabal was able to recover from his run, he quickly turned around and caught Jubei in mid-spin. Jubei now had his back turned to his opponent as he felt his head spin, the rooming looking more like a jigsaw puzzle to him now.

Kabal then kneed Jubei in the back, causing sheer pain in the samurai's body. He let out a painful groan as he suddenly found himself being thrown over Kabal's should backwards and landing hard on the ground, causing more pain to shoot through his body.

Without mercy, Kabal stomped on Jubei for a moment, before taking his hooksword out and began jabbing it towards his opponent. For a split second, Jubei had thought Kabal was going to kill him and was about to roll over. As he started to do so, Kabal used the hook portion of the weapon and managed to pierce it through the part of his shirt that was exposed around the armor. He then lifted Jubei up and got him back on his feet.

Before Jubei was able to get away from the weapon's grib, Kabal spoke. "Face defeat," he whispered. And with that, he pulled his head back a bit and shot out a purple, plasma-like energy into Jubei's face. The force of the energy pushed Jubei back and when he landed, he had hit his head hard enough on the ground to be knocked into unconsciousness.

Once the sorcerer Shang Tsung noticed this, he stood up from his throne. "Winner: Kabal!" he announced. And once again, the viewers clapped in union as Kabal left the ring with no remorse towards Jubei, who was immediately dragged out of the ring by his allies who were watching him in the tournament.

Shang Tsung looked down at the list that was in front of him to see who were the next two fighters to be in the ring. He smirked for two reasons upon seeing the names…one was that he came to realize that this was going to be the last match of the night. The second was that he recognized one of the names of the two fighters who was going to fight…

"We will now begin the final match of the night!" Shang Tsung called out. He waited a moment before announcing the first fighter. "Azam!"

A 7-foot muscular person stepped into the ring. He wore black boots and pants revealing his torso, which were covered with countless black tattoos. He possessed long black hair, which was tied back, a pair of black horns that came from his forehead, and a set of red eyes which scanned the viewers in search of who was going to face him in this match. Because he had a bit of a menacing appearance, the viewers grew silent and were beginning to feel sorry for the poor guy who was going to face him.

However, Shang Tsung knew Azam wasn't going to face an average person. He soon called out his name. "Noob Saibot!"

The average-sized wraith stepped into the ring. He seemed much more darker than before, almost like a shadow, with the exception of the pair of white lights in his eyes, which seemed to glare at Azam.

Although Shang Tsung didn't know Noob personally, he had heard much about the Netherealm native, a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, which Quan-Chi once lead. Noob had taken over the Brotherhood since, but from what the sorcerer had heard, he had proven to be a worthy leader.

 _Perhaps we could use him for our cause,_ the sorcerer thought. _However, let's see how worthy he really is first._

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

The fight itself didn't last very long, but in that short time, Noob unknowingly proved himself to the man watching from his throne. The wraith had incredibly speed, confusing his larger opponent completely. He then disappeared in a cloud of black mist. Azam looked around in confusion, unsure of where his opponent went, but once he was punched in the face, he realized that Noob had the power of invisibility. He swung his arms around, hoping to hit Noob, but it was no use, as the wraith was able to stay out of the way.

Noob then reappeared from behind Azam, who was unaware of it. He took out one of his dark gray throwing stars and threw it at Azam. The weapon impaled him in the shoulder, which had managed to go through his thick muscles, and he screamed in pain. With that, Noob took the opportunity to grab Azam by the shoulders, flipped himself up over his head, then use his strength to throw him over his head and face first into the ground just a few feet away. The force of the move caused cracks to appear on the ground and the impact made Azam lose consciousness.

The match was over. Shang Tsung stood up and announced Noob the winner and the viewers clapped in unison for the last time, at least for the night. Noob had folded his arms and stared down at his unconscious opponent, obviously disappointed in the match. After a brief moment of this, he turned around and walked away.

As the rest of the crowd dispersed, Shang Tsung walked off with two Shadow Priests on either side of him. Sodom, Kabal, and Noob… those were the three names to keep in mind, because to the sorcerer, they were all worthy of being in Shao Kahn's developing army…

~~~

**In A Dark Area Near The Underground Lair**

As instructed, Kabal met with his two allies, Kira and Havik, after the night's tournament was over to discuss more plans, since they haven't been able to do much of it since their arrival in Outworld. Havik had suggested a darkened area he had noticed on their way to the tournament and believed that this was the best place to have their discussion before returning to the main palace for the night.

Kabal stepped into the darkness. Although he was not able to see them, he could sense the presence of both Kira and Havik. All three were completely sealed from all eyes and the only way they knew they would be noticed was if someone had a sixth sense of sorts.

"Good, now we can finally get this over with," whispered Kira.

Havik snorted in amusement… he was feeling the same way the red-head was at the moment. "It would seem that we are closer to the medallion than I thought," he stated. "There have been rumors going around the palace that the host of the tournament, Shang Tsung, has connections to those who are currently holding the medallion. There is also another small rumor that I heard as well… there may be a chance that those fighting in the underground, and qualified for it, will be recruited into a new Outworld Forces in development."

"If I am recruited," Kabal cut in. "I will ask that you two join as well. I am sure you are able to prove yourselves to the higher ranks. That way, we will have more of a chance to retrieve the medallion."

Kira spoke up then. "We should wait until the end of the tournament and the winner is declared. It would be much easier to take the artifact for ourselves then."

Havik sighed then. "Well, it wouldn't be as fun as taking it from those who have it now, but if it will make your Earthlings happy, then so be it. Once we have the medallion, we will be able to take everyone under our control… get them to speak backwards and make the sky green and the grass blue in every realm, just like home."

That alone made Kira raise an eyebrow. She understood that Havik tended to think oddly considering where he came from, but this was just a bit too much for her. Kabal himself was silent and she hoped that he hadn't succumbed to the adviser's insanity.

The leader of the Black Dragon spoke then. "And do not forget, we will be able to control everyone under our will and we will have the power to have the best join our clan."

"Excellent," Havik said. "Well, that is all for now." Footsteps were heard then, indicating his departure.

Kabal began following then with Kira just behind him. The red-haired woman had her arms folded in front of her as they walked and when they were in the light again, she narrowed her eyes at Havik a bit. The discussion was much shorter than she had thought and they haven't discussed any real specific details about their plans, only the real basics. It was pretty much the similar conversation that they had last.

As they exited the lair, Kira began to wonder if Havik was truly worthy of being the clan's adviser…

~~~

**Forest Area**

"Wow, I'm really full," said Mi-na as she patted her stomach. "That dinner in the palace was great tonight."

Her childhood friend Hwang nodded in agreement. "It was a nice meal, at least it wasn't fish this time."

They continued walking forward. The two had decided to take a walk around the area before returning to the palace for the night. Three days ago, Mi-na won her match. Two days ago, Hwang won his match after being sick for a couple of days. Since they both were able to move on to round two, they decided to take the time to relax before the new round of the tournament began, the last day being in two days by morning.

"So what do you want to do when we get back to the palace?" asked Mi-na.

Hwang smirked to himself, knowing that the young woman wasn't going to like the answer he was going to give him. "We're going to bed… because we're going to train tomorrow morning."

Mi-na sighed a bit. "I don't mind training, but why in the morning?"

"Because if you train in the morning, it will boost your energy up better."

"Well, all right, if it will-"

It was then that they both heard a crunch not too far from them as though someone stepped on fresh leaves. Hwang and Mi-na stopped in their tracks, both realizing that someone was not too far from them. They quickly turned their heads, expecting someone to be behind them, but there was no one there. After a moment, the two looked at each other in a bit of confusion.

"Um," Mi-na whispered, only loud enough so that only Hwang could hear her. "It was probably a rat or something."

Hwang shifted his dark brown eyes a bit. "Maybe. However, I have this uneasy feeling suddenly." They began walking forward again, but more slowly this time.

Mi-na couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "You're not getting sick again, are you?"

Hwang stared at the young woman. "No, what I meant was-"

Before he was able to finish, he suddenly found Mi-na jump quickly towards him, noticing the horrified look on her face. Hwang was about to react, but then felt himself being pushed forward quickly by his ally and fell straight into the ground. As he recovered from the fall, he suddenly heard the sound of crashing steel just a few feet from him. He turned he head and noticed Mi-na with Scarlet Thunder out in front of her. Hwang was about to protest, about to ask her why in the hell she pushed him the way she did… then, he saw why.

A woman dressed in a black and pink attire stood in front of Mi-na, a pair of sais blocked by Mina's own weapon. Although the mysterious woman wore a veil over her lower face, he could tell by her cold eyes that she was smiling in amusement.

"Aren't you a strong one?" the woman hissed as she stared at Mi-na. "And a pretty one too. Originally, I was out after another, but while I wait, I'll play with you. Mileena wants to have fun."

"You picked the wrong person to fight," Mi-na said with determination. She then slightly pulled her weapon back and swung the blade end towards her opponent. Mileena immediately blocked the blade with one of her sais. Because of the size of the weapons, Mi-na had hoped that the weapons would knocked from Mileena's hand easily, but by the pressure, it would seem that the pink-clad woman had a very good grip on them.

The two women continue to exchange moves. As this was going on, Hwang managed to stand on his feet and immediately drew out his sword he had named Blue Thunder, a gift from the general of the coast guard back in Keisei.

Mi-na had quickly shifted her eyes towards Hwang once she was able to distract Mileena and saw that he was standing. "I'll take care of this myself!" she called out, then continued to fight.

Hwang sighed to himself. _Must she be stubborn at a time like this?!_ he thought with a bit of frustration. He decided to ignore her and ran forward to take down Mileena. However, before he lifted his sword above him, Mileena brought out two hands in front of her, one in front of each of the two. Then, two pink energy in shape of her weapons shot out towards each of them.

Though Hwang wasn't prepared for it, he was able to dodge his head out of the way and the energy barely missed him as he felt a small piece of the fabric on his shoulder being cut off. However, Mi-na wasn't able to dodge in time and was hit by the energy, sending her flying back and crashing into a tree.

"AAHHH!" Mi-na screamed out as she suddenly felt sharp pain in her right ankle. Despite the pain, she tried to get back on her feet, not willing to give up just yet. However, the moment she was on both feet, her right ankle gave out and she found herself on the ground holding her ankle in pain. "Dammit!" she cried out.

"Don't move, you're hurt!" Hwang cried out as he dodged a swinging sai from Mileena.

"Oh like I didn't know that!" Mi-na called out sarcastically.

Mileena stopped where she was and laughed a bit. "Too bad your little girlfriend went down so fast. But at least I can have fun with you."

She then quickly threw one of her sais at him, the weapon going just as fast as the energy she shot out a moment ago. Not having enough time to dodge physically again, Hwang quickly lifted his sword up and blocked the flying weapon, causing it to go off course. However, the weapon headed towards Mi-na, who had seen it coming and rolled slightly. The weapon plunged into the ground, barely missing the female warrior.

Knowing that his defense almost killed her, Hwang realized that they had to escape since she was hurt. With Mi-na just lying not too far from him and his opponent, she was at risk of being killed, realizing how sadistic Mileena truly was.

The thought briefly distracted him and it gave Mileena the chance to kick Hwang back a couple of feet. He landed on his back, a bit of pain shooting through him, but at least he still had his sword in his hand. With his free hand, Hwang felt a handful of dirt in his palm as Mileena approached him.

"Now you will both die!" Mileena cried out raising her remaining sai.

Unknown to her, Mi-na had managed to pick up the second sai, the one that had almost stabbed her. With all she had, she threw the weapon at Mileena, who saw it coming and dodged out of the way. However, this gave Hwang the advantage. He took the dirt in his hand and threw it in Mileena's eyes. Immediately, the stinging sensation caused Mileena to back away and she let out a small scream, frustrated that she had been distracted longer.

"Let's go!" Hwang announced. He quickly placed his sword back in his scabbard, scooped Mi-na in his arms, and ran with all he had out of the area.

Once Mileena was able to clear her eyes, the two young fighters were long gone. She growled inhumanly with frustration. "Those two will pay with their lives the next time I see them!"

~~~

**The Main Palace**

On the main staircase, people would pass in either directions, focused on their agendas for the night. The matches of the day were over and people moved about with no rush. At the bottom of the wide staircase, some had noticed a dark man in deep thought next to the long banister, but soon their minds became focused on other things.

Raven wasn't bothered by the quick stares, only because, as many guessed, he was in deep thought. The agent was in a bit of frustration for the first time since he could remember. Although most of the missions he had been one required time and patience, he would normally find leads to his main objective. However, this was the first time that he wasn't able to find one solid lead on figuring out the sorcerer Shang Tsung's true motives. Raven had tried to follow the sorcerer a few times throughout the tournament, but he would then find him gone without a trace.

During the last few days, he would quietly ask a few people of any information. There were a few rumors that were mentioned to him, including recruitment to the Emperor's forces in which the sorcerer was involved with. Other than that, there was nothing that would bring him closer to his objective.

He was also used to having his contacts back at headquarters through his earpiece, but as they had mentioned before his departure, they were unable to stay in contact while Raven was in another realm because the device was never meant for inter-realm travels. Normally, they would help find information as he worked, but obviously, not this time around.

The mission was indeed a challenge. Raven sighed a bit, realizing that he was letting his frustration cloud his mind. It wasn't normal for him to do so and he couldn't imagine what everyone back at headquarters would think.

However, he wasn't willing to give up. He was well known for never failing a mission. If he failed this now, especially one that was in another realm, it would completely blow his reputation. As he thought of this, he realized for the first time since becoming an agent how much pressure was on him.

Raven sighed to himself, realizing this fact. He then looked at his watch and decided to get some sleep for the night before continuing his mission. He got on his feet and began heading upstairs.

As he did, Raven noticed a peculiar person heading his way. He was dressed in a black karate gi with a red belt wrapped around his waist. He was a much older person with grayish-white hair, which was designed in a devil-like style. Raven didn't think anything of the man until he found him staring at him. Raven kept his eyes away until the man completely passed him. He reached the top of the stairs, then turned his head just in time to see the older man disappear around the corner.

Raven raised an eyebrow. A weird feeling fell over him, as though something wasn't right with the man. And it was also as though he had known him from somewhere before, but couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Feeling tired, the agent decided to forget about it and headed down the hall to his room. He had other things to concentrate on anyway…

~~~

**Far Off From the Palace**

"I never knew you could be capable of being such a cheap fighter," Mi-na said while glaring at Hwang. They had just exited the forest area, much to both of their relief, though at this point, they realized that they were far off from the palace.

Hwang sighed to himself. He felt a bit guilty himself by using a cheap tactic of throwing dirt at his opponent's eyes. "I know," he said. "But it wasn't like it was the actual tournament."

"That's true," Mi-na agreed. She then winced a bit, feeling another shot of pain in her ankle. "I really hope that I didn't break anything."

"I never got a good look at it," Hwang said. "When we get back to the palace, I'll look at it."

Mi-na looked at Hwang again. "Do you even know where we are?"

The guardsman stopped in his tracks and scanned the area. He was unable to recognize the area and came to the realization that they were lost. 'Great,' he thought. He then turned to his right and noticed a wall of boulders. Along the boulders, a large hole was presented.

"A cave…" Hwang muttered. He looked down at Mi-na then. "Since it's very late, we're going to have to settle at that cave over there for the night."

Mi-na sighed a bit, not happy about the resting place for the night. "I really hope Outworld doesn't have any weird species of bats in there."

Hwang wasn't an easy person to amuse, but for some reason, Mi-na was able to get a small chuckle out of him this time around. She smirked to herself a bit, feeling sort of proud of herself for finally being able to start breaking the seriousness her friend always possessed since they were kids.

The guardsman carried Mi-na to the cave and they stepped a few feet in before finally placing her on the ground, then sat next to her. Mi-na looked around the area. She found it interesting that there were lit candles against the wall, but didn't think any more of it.

Hwang looked over at Mi-na then as she stared up at the candles. A thought came to him then. He didn't know why it left him in the first place and mentally slapped himself for it. They were originally here in Outworld because she had run away from home and boarded on to the ship. He and the Coast Guard were assigned to bring her home at any cost and he was the only one who had seen her escape on to the ship. Hwang was determined to do so… however, before he did, he had to find the truth behind Mi-na's reason of running away to begin with… and now seemed like the right time to ask.

However, before he was able to open his mouth, a loud humming noise was heard just a couple of feet away. Mi-na and Hwang turned their heads and saw a white light in shape of a person right in front of them. Then, just as quickly, the light faded, revealing a tall, male person in black, blue, and white clothing and wore a rice harvester hat on his head.

"Greetings," the man said.

Mi-na was unable to say anything, shocked to see that someone was in the cave. However, Hwang managed to speak for the two of them. "Um, I'm sorry we came here, we didn't know someone was here…"

They were both surprised to hear the man chuckle. "Do not worry yourselves. I had sensed that you two would come here since this morning." The two Keisei natives raised an eyebrow, a bit freaked out by the last sentence. The man decided to try to reassure them then. "My name is Raiden. Come with me to the back, I will explain everything. I just ask that you keep it quiet, the others are sleeping."

There was no time to think about who the 'others' were. Hwang helped Mi-na up again and the two followed Raiden to the back…

~~~

**Upper Floors, Main Palace**

After spending the evening watching the tournaments in the underground lair, Sagat and Vega decided to retire for the night. Viper followed them just a few feet behind in silence.

"Those were the worst matches I've seen since we arrived here," said Vega. "I could've taken them all on without breaking a sweat."

Sagat silently snorted a bit. "Do not let your ignorance cloud your mind."

"Speak for yourself, _former_ Muay Thai Champion."

At the moment, Sagat wanted to throw Vega down the stairs they were just passing by. However, he regained his composure as he was currently not in the mood to fight. "Forget about it. I have a tournament to attend to tomorrow morning and now is not the time for me to be distracted from the past."

The three soon reached the doors to their rooms, which were next to each other. "Since you will mentally prepare for tomorrow," Vega stated. "I have my own 'plans' to attend to tonight." With that, he looked at Viper, who only looked up at him with no emotion in her face.

A bit of disgust washed over Sagat. "What is your interest in this girl anyway?"

As the Spanish matador unlocked the door to his room, he placed his free hand around Viper's shoulders. "Let's just say that she is a strong one."

Sagat shook his head a little. "You sadistic bastard. You're lucky Bison is no longer alive. He would've ripped your throat with his bare hands for this." The Thailand native soon managed to unlock the door to his room. "I'll see you tomorrow." He then went into his room and shut the door behind him.

Silently, Vega and Viper walked into their room and the matador locked the door behind them. The room itself was large, nearly all of the items in the room were of golden color, aside from the few plants that were placed around the room. In the back of the room contained two windows and a doorway which lead to an outdoor balcony, looking over Outworld. The room also contained a king-sized bed in which Vega shared with Viper.

Viper had already approached the bed and began to sit down on the mattress. Vega himself removed the cloak around his body revealing his bare torso which contained a purple snake tattoo that wrapped around him. He also wore a red scarf around his waist, purple and yellow pants, the end stopping just below the knee, long white socks, and brown shoes.

Once he placed his cloak on a chair, Vega took off his claw and placed it on the desk. He then took off his white porcelain mask and placed it next to the claw. Because he wore the mask so much, most people perceived him as some sort of ugly monster. However, that wasn't the case as Vega possessed a very flawless face and, at the age of twenty-six, he looked a bit younger than he really was.

Vega then approached the bed, not taking his dark blue eyes off of Viper, who stayed in her place. The Spanish matador stopped just a foot from her, then placed a hand just under her chin and tilted her head up so that her eyes were on him.

"Now my beauty," Vega whispered so only she was able to hear. "Let us begin."

And with that, he took a hold of the golden drapes and pulled it over so that all view of the bed was covered…

~~~

**Back At the Cave**

A bandage had been wrapped around Mi-na's ankle. It turned out that she had only sprained it and had to stay off of it in order to let it recover. As her ankle was taken care of, she looked over at the woman with wild purple hair who had introduced herself as Rose.

Once they had arrived in the back, Hwang had asked Raiden who the 'others' were. To his surprise, the 'others' were thirty-two other people, plus Raiden and Rose, staying in the cave. Hwang and Mi-na couldn't understand why these people were secluded from the rest of the participants of the tournaments, but neither one of them dared to ask.

Then, Raiden spoke. "I sense a pure heart and soul in both of you. If that wasn't the case, I would've kicked you both out of here."

Rose glared at Raiden. "Well the poor girl did hurt her ankle, the best we could do is help them."

Raiden sighed, decided not to argue with her then. However, confusion still clouded the strangers. "I don't get it," said Mi-na. "How is it that Hwang and I have 'pure hearts and souls?'"

"Okay so no one is ever completely innocent," Raiden admitted. "What I meant by that is that the two of your have a sense of knowing what is truly right, no matter what you have done in the past. Which brings me to a question out of curiosity… do you two have any idea what you got yourselves into here?"

"I can answer that," Mi-na answered. "I was chased down by the Coast Guard back in Keisei and escaped on a ship. I didn't know I was going to whole different place there where a tournament was going to be." She then pointed a finger at Hwang. "And for added information, he's a member of the Coast Guard."

Hwang sighed to himself, realizing that even when they agreed to place their current situation aside, Mi-na still held a bit of a grudge towards him. He wanted to argue with her then, to blame her for making him chase her here and becoming trapped until the end of the tournament, but now didn't seem to be the right time for that.

Raiden chuckled a little. "As I said, no one is completely innocent. However, I should tell you that all the realms, including Keisei, are in danger."

"What do you mean?" Hwang asked, now curious.

"Well," Raiden replied. "I am the God of Thunder and Rose is a psycho-I mean psychic." Rose immediately glared at him. Raiden noticed, but he continued on. "Along with the other individuals here, we are here to defend the realms… you two have been chosen to do the same."

Rose decided to continue for the Thunder God. "The _Chishio No Me_ medallion is in the wrong hands, considering the Outworld Emperor's history. Many rumors and suspicions have been going around since before anyone's arrival here for the tournament. Some of us, myself included, had visions of the destruction of mankind, and we fear that may be the result of the tournament."

"For now," Raiden cut in. "Our job is to make sure that the medallion falls into the right hands. We are also doing investigations on the current wielders, however we haven't been very successful at this point. We hope that we will have more answers near the end of the tournament."

"Tell me about the Outworld Emperor," asked Hwang.

Raiden nodded. "His name is Shao Kahn…" and with that, he explained the Emperor's history, the history of the medallion, and how it was discovered recently and given to Shao Kahn.

When Raiden finished the story, Hwang and Mi-na were in a bit of shock. Sure, the two of then stuck around for the tournament to see how far they would go, but they had no idea what they truly got themselves into. They wondered what could've happened had they not have received this information after the tournament was over. Then again, what could happen may not even happen…

"Mi-na and I will help anyway we can," Hwang said. "Especially if it's for the sake of the entire universe."

Raiden nodded in approval. "Excellent! In that case, welcome aboard. You'll be staying in the cave for the remainder of the tournament."

Rose stood up then. "Follow me, I will show you to your rooms."

Hwang stood up then and helped Mi-na up as well. Then, they followed the older woman out of the lounge area and towards one of the few empty rooms of the cave. As they left, Rose glared at Raiden again. "And when I get back, I'd like to talk to you about the whole 'psycho' thing." Then she left.

 _Women,_ Raiden thought with amusement. Then almost immediately after, his mind became serious. _Why do I have the feeling that we still may not have enough for our cause…_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Indoor Arena**

"Sakura Kasugano!" the Shadow Priest called out.

The moment finally came for the young Japanese girl. For days, she had waited for the moment when her name would be called to do battle in the ring. Now the time came and she was ready for it.

As Sakura stepped into the ring and made her way towards the middle, she began to wonder who her opponent was going to be. Watching the past matches, she has seen some very tough opponents. Even those who didn't make it to the next round showed great strength and charisma.

Sakura was able to hear the cheers coming from her friends Ibuki, Asuka, Maki, Mika, and newcomer Cassandra. She smiled to herself, feeling a bit more confident. Even if she did lose… no… losing wasn't an option…she had to win!

Once she was in the middle of the ring, her opponent's name was announced. "Linkara!"

Sakura turned her head a bit in search for her opponent and once she laid her eyes on her, she could've sworn that she felt a sweat drop just above her brow. Throughout the tournament, she had seen many fighters in different shapes and forms and Linkara, if she remembered correctly, was a Shokan… half human half dragon with copper skin, thinning long black hair that almost created a Mohawk style, ripped muscles, red eyes, and four arms. From the looks of her smaller height and size compared to the much larger of her kind, Linkara looked to be an older teenager.

Linkara walked over to the middle of the ring and stopped a few feet from Sakura. The young Shokan laughed a little. "So, I'm fighting a human? This will be easier than I thought."

Sakura immediately put her clenched fists up and got into a fighting stance. As she moved, the tail of her white headband behind her slightly swayed. "Don't underestimate me just yet."

Immediately after the statement, the Shadow Priest called for the match to begin and quickly after, Sakura and Linkara wasted no time. The two charged at each other, ready for battle.

Linkara lifted her lower arms up, which were clasped together, and brought them down in quick speed. Sakura saw this in time and ducked down sideways. Immediately she found an opening and landed a fist in Linkara's abdomen. Linkara wasn't prepared for the move and she backed up a bit in slight pain. However, because she had well-developed muscles in her abdomen, it wasn't enough to distract the Shokan.

Sakura brought up a leg and attempted to perform a high kick. However, Linkara was able to block the move, and then grab her leg with both of her left hands. Before Sakura could react, Linkara managed to throw Sakura over her head causing her to fly a couple of feet back and land hard on her side.

"Owe…" Sakura mumbled under her breath hoping that Linkara didn't hear her. Then, she noticed Linkara lifting one of her feet up. Sakura's dark eyes immediately widened, realizing what was about to happen. She quickly rolled out of the way and Linkara only managed to stomp on the ground.

With that, Sakura got back on her feet just in time to see Linkara lift up her other leg to kick her. Sakura blocked the move and tried to follow it up with a punch of her own. Instead she found Linkara blocking the move with one of her lower arms.

The two exchanged moves like this for a bit with both girls playing offense and defense. Soon, Linkara was able to overpower Sakura and managed to push her back before kicking her in the abdomen. The force of the kick nearly knocked the wind out of Sakura and she found herself coughing a bit.

The young Japanese girl looked up at Linkara's face as she tried to quickly recover from the blow. Normally when she was watching from the sidelines, Sakura would see determination in the fighters' faces. With Linkara however, she didn't see it at all. Instead, a smirk was stuck on her face and her eyes seemed to take pride in the situation that she was in.

 _If I'm correct, she's being overconfident,_ Sakura thought. _I hope I'm right._ At least she had hoped she was right because it was a good advantage for her to take.

It was then that Linkara spoke. "Are you finally cowering in fear? I can almost see it in those pretty eyes of yours."

Sakura realized that her eyes were definitely a bit wide, showing an emotion that currently didn't exist within her heart in that moment. She slightly shook her head and narrowed them then, showing how she was really feeling…

Determined.

"Don't jump to conclusions just yet!" Sakura barked out. She then bent her knees, clenched her fist, and jumped up. " _Sho-Ru-Ken!_ " she called out. Linkara felt a hard punch under her chin and flew a couple of feet in the air before hitting the ground on her side. She managed to sit up, ignoring the pain, just as Sakura made a 360 degree spin in the air, then landed back on her feet.

Sakura stood there, deciding to give Linkara a chance to get back on her feet. They stood about six feet away from each other at this point. Linkara only stood there as Sakura had her fists drawn, ready for more.

"Let's see if you can handle this!" Linkara called out as she lifted all four of her arms in the air. Immediately, a green energy was drawn into her hands forming four small circles. Although Sakura was still on her guard, she found herself slightly lowering her clenched fists a bit, unsure of what to really expect next.

Then it came to her… Linkara was collecting energy in order to shoot out a projectile at Sakura. As Linkara concentrated on collecting her energy, Sakura began to do the same as well, thankful that even though it wasn't the perfect projectile, it was still useful in situations like this one.

Soon, Linkara was able to form all four energy balls into one big ball. Once they were formed, she immediately shot them out towards Sakura. Even while preparing for her own projectile, Sakura was able to get out of the way of the projectile quickly. The audience in the path of the projectile were long out of the way from it as it flew over their heads and crashed into a wall. Since day one, the audience had grown used to dodging out of the way of flying projectiles coming from the fighters in the ring.

Then, as Linkara turned to face Sakura, she was suddenly met with a blue energy that hit her hard in the face. The last thing Linkara heard before being rendered unconscious was " _Hadouken!_ " She then flew back a few feet and landed on her side in a heap.

After a moment, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Sakura!"

Suddenly, the applaud coming from the audience didn't matter to Sakura. Her allies' cheers and screams of excitement took over the applauding making the young Japanese girl smile.

"YEAH! I did it!" Sakura cried out. She then cried out a "Woo hoo!" as she punched and kicked in the air for a bit before skipping over to the ringside to meet with her friends.

"That was great!" cried out Maki.

"You did awesome!" called Ibuki.

"Thank you," Sakura said smiling.

"Just do us a favor next time," Asuka said smirking. She then lifted up a hand which contained a white and red shoe. "The next time you get excited, try not to lose your shoe and nearly giving someone a concussion."

Sakura looked down then and noticed that her left shoe was missing. Immediately she blushed, almost forgetting her long-time habit. "Um... oops," was all she could mutter.

~~~

**Beach Arena**

"Winner: Yang!" the Shadow Priest called out. The audience clapped as Yang walked out of the ring after knocking his opponent out unconscious by using his finishing move in which he called the Raishin Mahhaken. He had performed the move in such speed that no one was able to figure exactly what he did. Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore because the one half of the Twin Dragons walked away the winner of the match.

Yang was able to hear cheering coming from Yun and Yin, who stood on the sidelines to support their brother. "That was awesome!" cried out Yun. "For a moment there, I thought he had you!"

Looking back at his opponent, Yang realized how menacing his opponent was even when rendered unconscious and being placed on a cart to be lured out of the area. Obviously from another realm, the opponent was male with red skin and black tattoo designs on his body. He was lean and cut and though he had great strength, Yang's speed was the one that prevailed in the match.

"Um, yeah, I guess," Yang said rubbing the back of his neck.

Yin smiled excitedly. "This is great! Yang and I are both going to be moving on to round two. Now let's hope Yun does the same tomorrow."

Yun stretched his arms out. "I'm pretty sure I will, no questions about it."

Nearby, Lei and Chun Li were watching the tournament as well, mainly because Lei would be fighting today. "Yang did a pretty good job despite the odds," Lei mentioned.

Chun Li smirked to herself. Although things had been quite busy for her, she was thankful to be able to have some chat time here in Outworld with the Lee siblings, who were trained under their grandfather Gen, who happened to be Chun Li's master from childhood. She had been already aware that Gen was the one who received the invitation to the tournament. However, due to his illness, he was unable to attend and he passed down the card to his young grandchildren. Although, she was saddened about Gen not coming, she figured it may be for the best. Besides, it would seem that Gen felt they were ready to take on battles as these ones in the tournament and Yang just recently proved that. Gen would had been just as proud as she was.

"He definitely did a great job," Chun Li said replying to Lei's comment.

Lei looked at Chun-Li then. "And you did a great job as well last night. Congratulations on getting in to round two."

Chun-Li laughed a little. "I appreciate that, but that's the fifth time you've said that."

Lei let out a small nervous laugh then. "Um, guess I did. Well, I guess I'm just anxious for my match to begin. I've been sitting here since breakfast ended and now it's past lunch time."

"Just be patient, that's all you can really do."

It was then that the fighter for the next match was announced. "Titan!"

The audience fell silent when a opponent similar to Yang's opponent stepped in. However he was a bit bigger and bit more menacing than the last guy. His sadistic grin showed off two rows of sharp yellow teeth and he had a set of red eyes which made one seem like they were looking into the deep depths of Hell.

Lei let out a small whistle. "This guy looks tough. I feel really sorry for the poor bastard who has to face him."

"Lei Wulong!" the Shadow Priest called out.

"Oh look Lei!" Chun Li cried out. She purposely made herself sound excited, realizing the irony of Lei's last comment. "Your wait is finally over! Good luck!"

 _I'm going to really need it,_ Lei thought sighing. He then forced himself to walk over the ropes and walk into the ring. He stopped about seven feet from his opponent, not feeling too right about this match.

Titan looked down at Lei, being about a foot taller than the Interpol detective. "Don't expect to win," Titan said. "And don't expect me to take it easy on you."

Lei forced himself to narrow his eyes at his opponent. Then, he got himself into his fighting stance. "We'll see how it turns out," he said as Titan got into his own stance.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Lei had hoped that he would have a stare down with Titan so he could take the time to relax himself a bit before beginning the fight. Unfortunately for the super cop, Titan wasn't thinking the same thing and once the start of the fight was called, he immediately charged after Lei, ready to take him on.

Titan threw a punch once he was close enough, but Lei immediately ducked under it. From there, the Interpol detective tried to jab an open palm at his opponent's stomach, but Titan saw it and caught his hand. He then twisted Lei's arm and Lei suddenly found himself in a mid-air choke hold.

"Got you now, wimp!" Titan said as he tightened the hold. Lei began struggle against the hold, trying to find a way to get out of it.

"Come on Lei!" Chun Li called out from the sidelines.

After another few seconds, Lei managed to lift one of his legs up and kicked back at Titan's abdomen as hard as he could. However, because of Lei's opponent's well-built muscles, the blow did little to effect him. Then, to the cop's luck, Titan decided to let him go by throwing him across the ring. Sand flew around as Lei rolled a few feet back before coming to a stop. Ignoring the pain, he quickly sat up.

Then to Lei's surprise, one of Titan's hands was surrounded by an orange energy, which formed quite quickly. Titan then threw his hand and a large ball of reddish-orange fire came out of it and headed towards his opponent. Lei saw it coming and rolled out of the way. The ball of fire landed at the previous spot he was in and on impact the fire exploded and disintegrated.

Lei got to his feet and began running towards Titan. "Let's see you handle this!" Once he was close enough to Titan, Lei performed varies and punches and kicks from his five fighting styles. For a moment, Titan was blocking the moves, but soon Lei found himself overpowering his opponent and managed to get a few hits on him, stunning him a couple of times.

Titan pulled back then and glared at Lei. "Is that all you got?" he demanded. He then threw another fireball at Lei, who got out of the way immediately after. Once again, the fire exploded upon impact with the ground.

Lei smirked then. "I may not have my own special powers, but at least I don't need to always rely on them."

This immediately angered Titan and he quickly began charging at Lei, roaring in anger in the process. "I'll kill you!" he yelled out.

Not knowing what to expect, Lei immediately stepped a few feet out of the way before Titan could get his hands on him. However, Lei never knew how close he was to the edge of the ring. Once Titan noticed, it was too late to stop himself and the large man found himself stumbling completely out of the ring.

"Winner: Lei Wulong!" the Shadow Priest immediately called out.

Lei nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Eh, sorry buddy, I really didn't know I was that close to the edge."

Once Titan got back on his feet, he glared at Lei and pointed at him. "Now I'm really going to kill you!"

Within a split second, Lei was out of the ring on the other side. He took a moment to grab Chun Li's hand and then he made a run for it.

"Lei!" Chun Li called out.

"Sorry Chun!" Lei called out. "But I really don't want to know what he's like outside the ring!"

Chun Li managed to let out a heavy sigh. _What a day…_ she thought.

~~~

**Underground Lair**

Once again, night fell and the only matches taking place were the ones in the underground lair. Sagat was amongst those watching the matches there. However, the main reason he was there was because he had a match that night.

For a while, Sagat waited for his name to be called out. Because that hadn't happened yet, the former Muay Thai champion had to endure match after match and many of them couldn't even be considered real fights.

 _Most of those who make it to round two tonight will not have the honor to make it to round three,_ Sagat thought.

Then finally, two matches caught his attention. He wondered if the two winners had anything to do with the army that was being formed. Their own skills seemed to be unmatched with any of the fighters he had seen all night.

The first was of a cyborg by the name of Smoke. Smoke had faced a female cyborg as well, though she looked more human than he did. The two of them had a fierce fight and Smoke himself pulled off moves that Sagat couldn't describe. At one point, Smoke had fumed, well, smoke out of him causing his opponent to become temporary blind. Then, he took her by the head and smashed her face into his knee. Although it didn't affect Smoke's opponent that much, Sagat could only imagine the damage the move could do on a normal human…

Then, Smoke made himself invisible and whatever he did, he caused his opponent to malfunction. She shook a bit before falling forward. Then, Smoke reappeared a few feet from her. Some would think that this would count as a death in the tournament and that Smoke would be disqualified. However, since his opponent was a cyborg, she was fixable and because of that, it didn't count as a fatality.

"Winner: Smoke!" the host Shang Tsung called out. Immediately, an older human, who Sagat assumed was her master, picked her up and carried her away.

Sagat snorted a bit as Smoke went back into the audience. Thinking back on it now, it wasn't a good match as he previously thought. The winner pretty much cheated just to get his way. Then again, there weren't really that many rules in the tournament.

However, he couldn't deny the skills of the fighter who won the following match. Shang Tsung had announced this fighter as Mileena. Her opponent was named Trixie, a blonde haired girl with roller blades and small boxing gloves.

 _Ridiculous,_ Sagat thought as he stared at Trixie. _How is it that people like her get into the tournament?_

As he expected, Mileena had the full advantage throughout the match. During it, there were unforgettable moments. For instance, at one point, Mileena literally sank through the floor, then reappeared from the air and kicked Trixie in the head from above. The audience clapped at the impressive move. Sagat found himself rubbing his chin with interest then.

The match continued from there as Mileena continued to have more of an advantage. At one point, she performed a rolling thunder knocking Trixie to the ground. Later, she shot out two pink projectiles that were shaped like sais throwing her opponent off once again.

After a few more minutes, Trixie was finally about to get past Mileena's blocking and tried to punch her in the face. However, when Mileena pulled back, her pink and black veil got caught on Trixie's gloves and when she pulled her arm back, the veil went with her.

Mileena's face was now fully revealed. Sagat figured the sight under her veil was going to be unpleasant. Besides, the woman wore revealing clothes, a way to make people draw their attention away from her face.

However, many of the watchers didn't seem to get the idea in the first place as they gasped in horror. Half of them were now trying not to look at Mileena. Her nose was that of an ugly witch, though that really wasn't what was truly ugly… it was her mouth… no skin covered it. Instead, long sharp teeth replaced them and they looked sharp enough to bite through one's bones.

"You bitch!" Mileena snarled. She let out an animal-like growl and charged at Trixie, who she grabbed once she was close enough. As expected, Trixie was full of fear, not sure of what was going to happen next.

"Now to rip off that pretty head of yours!" Mileena called out. She opened her mouth, loving the sound of Trixie's agonizing screams.

Even with the screaming, Mileena was still able to hear Shang Tsung, much to her dismay. "Mileena!" he called out. "If you continue, you will be disqualified!"

Mileena let out a small growl, realizing that her rage nearly took her over. In disappointment, she dropped Trixie to the ground. Immediately, the young opponent quickly crawled over to ringside.

"I never wanted to be in this tournament!" Trixie cried out. "You win!" And with that, she stepped out of the ring.

Shang Tsung sighed and stood up. "Winner: Mileena!"

Sagat shook his head a little. Although the actual match itself was lame, he did admire Mileena's skills. And if it was true that she was in the developing army, he looked forward to working with her, despite her… flaw.

Once everything was calm, Shang Tsung was finally able to begin the next match. "Sagat!"

Finally, the Thailand native was finally going to fight. Sagat stepped into the ring, his enormous height already intimidating some of the fighters who had been waiting to fight. Sagat then began to have the feeling that his upcoming match wasn't going to last very long.

Then, his opponent's name was announced. "Dim!"

A werewolf-like creature stepped into the ring. He let out a small growl and his yellow eyes glared at his opponent. Sagat smirked. He may be one of the few who will have a good match tonight after all.

Once Dim was set, Shang Tsung called for the match to begin.

Although Dim was bit challenging with his animal-like instinct, Sagat was able to take him down within two minutes, knocking him out with his _Tiger Genocide_ move. The crowd was silent as Shang Tsung announced him the winner.

Feeling angry, Sagat quickly left the arena, pushing anyone out of his way. Before announcing the next match, Shang Tsung watched him until he could no longer be seen. The sorcerer found himself admiring a fighting spirit that Sagat was thirsting for. As a matter of fact, Sagat left a meaningful impression on the sorcerer.

Shang Tsung found himself smirking then. _Perhaps he may be worthy of joining our developing army…_

There was only one more day left before round one was over… and the sorcerer wondered what round two was going to bring to the tournament…


	20. Chapter Nineteen

The final day of round one of The Blood Tournament had arrived. That morning at the indoor arena, Rose watched the remaining 'chosen ones,' Yun and Ibuki, fight in their matches. Thankfully, their separate matches took place just before lunch and the both of them were able to receive victory and the chance to move on to round two of eight of the tournament.

 _Aside from Lita,_ thought Rose as Yun, the last of the two, won his match. _Everyone in the cave is moving on to round two... for not knowing much behind the tournament, things seem to be going well so far…_

~~~

**Main Palace**

"Today is the final day of round one," said Queen Sindel.

"And we were all able to make it to the next round, which starts in two days," mentioned Jade as she sipped a cup of tea into her mouth.

The weather in Outworld seemed quite bright today rather than it's usual gloomy weather the realm would normally have. On a balcony that was connected to the Queen's room, she, Jade, and Princess Kitana decided to join together for some Edenian tea just after having lunch at the palace's dining quarters. From above, they were able to watch the participants of the tournament going towards, away, and around the palace grounds.

"You know," Sindel continued after a moment of silence. "We've had our bad times here in Outworld and for a while since we arrived here, I couldn't think of one good thing that came out of this place since we left. However, now that I think about it, when we return to Edenia, we may finally leave this place with at least one good memory."

"That may not be so bad," replied Jade. "Even if you have awful memories in one place, you may end up developing at least one good memory later on in life no matter how much your resent it."

They fell silent then, deciding to enjoy the rarely good environment that Outworld was currently displaying. During Sindel and Jade's conversation, Kitana had paid no attention to what they were talking about. Instead, she daydreamed.

Many years ago, Kitana remembered a time when she was an assassin for the Emperor Shao Kahn. For all those years, he had manipulated her into thinking he was her real father and that the clone Mileena was really her twin sister. The two of them, along with Jade, were Shao Kahn's three most loyal assassins, taking on their assignments like it was nothing.

However, Kitana would later find out that she was really the Princess of Edenia and that her real father, King Jerrod, was murdered at the hands of Shao Kahn and took her mother Sindel as his bride. Driven to insanity, and her essence the only means of protecting Earthrealm from the same fate as Edenia, Sindel committed suicide. However, she would later be resurrected on Earthrealm by Shao Kahn. Kitana also found out that Mileena was created so that when the Princess herself was rid of, the clone would take her place.

Later, the Princess would find out that her own mother was resurrected and was being controlled. Kitana would eventually free her mother and free her world of Edenia from Outworld's grasps with Jade's help. Since those days, Edenia had been in peace and Kitana rarely heard from Mileena since, though she would occasionally hear of Shao Kahn, all of them involving him trying to control Edenia once again.

When the invitation to the tournament came to her hands, Kitana knew that Shao Kahn was going to be involved somehow. She had not seen him as of yet, though she had already seen some of his minions including Shang Tsung. True or not, Kitana figured that Shao Kahn had to know her, Jade, and her mother's presence by now.

However, she was surprised that no one has made a move on them yet. So why is Shao Kahn waiting to attack?

Kitana then decided to push those thoughts out of her head. Then, the thought of the Keisei knight Siegfried came to her. It had been three days since they had introduced each other, though it seemed like a longer time since.

Unfortunately, Kitana had not seen Siegfried since that fateful meeting in the halls of the palace. The last time she saw him, his right hand was shaking and he had quickly excused himself and ran off. It worried the Princess a bit since she wasn't sure why that happened. She had hoped to be able to meet up with him again in hopes of finding out what was going on, but so far it has been to no avail.

Then, Jade's voice broke Kitana off from her daydream. "Wow, I didn't realize how much tea we had! The kettle is completely empty."

Kitana shook her head a little and looked down at her teacup, which was only half empty. Her mother must've seen the blank expression on her face and spoke then. "My daughter, is everything all right?"

Kitana looked up at Sindel, who had a concerned look on her face. She forced a smirk and nodded. "Yes mother, I'm all right. I must be tired."

"Well then you go rest," Sindel suggested. "Jade and I are going to go to the indoor arena to watch the final matches of this round. Be safe dear."

"Yes mother."

With that, Sindel and Jade left the balcony. Kitana watched over the balcony and down at the ground before, watching a bit of the activities of the participants. After a while, she decided to rest for a while. Kitana got up from the chair and went inside.

~~~

**Near The Cave Area**

Sitting under a tall tree, Nina Williams watched the small beach area about ten yards from her. The water was crystal clear and small fishes could be seen swimming under the water and small waves crawled up to the shore before pulling back again.

Since arriving in Outworld, Nina did all she could to distance herself from everyone staying in the cave with her since she had no interest in getting to know them. Normally, she was approached by Raiden and Rose for any reason, mainly about the tournament, but it was always very brief. A few days ago, she easily won the match she participated in and was going to move on to the next round. However, she admitted to herself that there were a few things bugging her.

 _What's the point of me being the chosen one?_ she thought. _That Thunder God mentioned that we all had pure hearts and souls. What does that have anything to do with me?_

Then again, she had lost her memories of the past, about two years ago after awakening from being in suspended animation for nineteen years as a result of failing a mission. Perhaps she had a pure heart and soul then?

She also remembered what Rose said to her on the ship. _Nina, just because you are an assassin, doesn't mean you should not open up to those around you. Loneliness is not the good way of life._

That was another thing Nina couldn't understand. It was a type of life she had lived for as long as she could remember and she hadn't felt any emotions about it. Besides, who did Rose think she was telling her about her feelings and lifestyle? It was none of her business anyway.

Since arriving in Outworld, Nina never forgot her main objective and how she ended up here to begin with. She was assigned to assassinate the Spanish ninja Vega and to return the young woman Viper unharmed. Nina had followed the two on to the ships, but she had not seen either of them since.

 _Where could either of them be?_ she thought with a small sigh.

She looked down a little and noticed the dark green baby tee she was wearing. Because she came here unexpected, Rose had provided her with extra clothing. The blonde assassin was displeased about not being given any dark purple clothing, which has always been her preferred color. She was thankful, however, to able to choose black pants, which she was wearing now, from the collection.

More thoughts came to Nina, mainly about Vega and Viper and how she was going to try to find them. Unknown to her, someone noticed her and approached Nina from behind. However, the unknown person ended up stepping on a twig, quickly alerting Nina. She took out a small gun from her pocket and aimed it behind her.

The stranger laughed then. "I'm so glad I finally found you… sister!"

"Hmph," Nina said without turning around. She felt the left side of her lips curl up a bit in amusement. "You took your sweet time finding me. I haven't seen you since we were still on Earth."

Nina stood up then and turned around to face her younger sister, Anna. A sadistic smirk was on the brunette's face as the bottom end of her red qipao dressed swayed in the light wind revealing her red high-heeled shoes and brown stockings that contained black flower designs on them.

"I do admit," said Anna. "You were quite hard to find." She then took out a small pistol that was hidden on a belt under her dress. "Now we can finally settle our score. Honestly, I tried to make amends with you, trying to put our old past aside. However, it seems that you don't want to do just that… so I have no choice but to kill you!"

Nina said nothing as she and Anna glared at each other with the same ice cold blue eyes they possessed. Both of them waited for the other to pull trigger with each of them ready to duck out of the way. With that, they knew that a gun war between them was about to take place.

However, just before either of them pulled the trigger, a sound of thunder was heard. Both of them turned their heads, distracted from the noise. They saw a white light in shape of a human. Soon, the light was gone and Nina was able to recognize Raiden. However, Anna had no clue who he was.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, now pointing the gun at Raiden.

Suddenly, both Nina and Anna's guns were taken from their hands by an unknown force and thrown far into the sea. Both of them became confused by what just happened.

"Enough!" Raiden demanded. "This is not the time for personal vendettas! Both of you must wait until the end of the tournament!"

Nina glared at the Thunder God, staying silent. However, Anna let out a fake yawn. "So the bitch is currently seeking guidance from some guy with weird electric powers? How boring!" She looked at Nina then. "When you're done kissing up to him, we'll settle our score." She then left and soon disappeared behind the trees.

Raiden looked over at Nina then. "Do not let personal matters get to you until the tournament is completed."

Nina became angry then. "It's none of your damn business about my personal matters! And besides, what's with me having a 'pure heart and soul?' Wouldn't she have the same thing since I'm sure we've led similar lives?"

Raiden let out a small sigh then. "No actually. Your sister's heart has been long tainted with bitter hatred and greed. However, for you, your only true hate is the one towards her and that is why you are here, since it does not matter what you have done in the past. Do not let your only hatred get in the way."

Nina decided enough was enough. She was sick of Raiden (and Rose) getting into her personal life and she was already pissed at him for taking her gun from her hand. Without another word, she left to return to her room in the cave.

Raiden sighed to himself again as he watched Nina leave. _The girl has yet to realize her true potential. Maybe once she gets her memories back, she will…_

Meanwhile, Anna walked through the forest area, feeling extremely bitter. Her hatred for Nina seemed to grow with every second that passed. For many years, she had watched her receive attention from those around her, always leaving Anna in the dark corner. Growing up, it was always about Nina. And besides, what up about that lightning man anyway?

 _The bitch doesn't realize how good she has it!_ she thought.

It was then that someone passed by a couple of trees. Although the person moved fast, Anna was able to make out the dark green shirt and the lock of blonde hair flowing behind the person.

A smirk came upon Anna's face as she took out another gun she hid under her dress. "Hmph," she muttered under her breath. "I guess she decided to ignore her 'mentor.'" And with that, she began to following the figure.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out. Immediately, the two fighters fought each other. Today was the last day of round one, much to the sorcerer's relief. He had seen many talented warriors of all kinds. However, he had looked forward to getting rid of those who were never truly worthy of being in this tournament.

 _The true warriors will be facing each other in just two days,_ he thought.

Suddenly, in a section of the audience, people began screaming. Some ran off, some were thrown around the area. Shang Tsung found himself standing up, wondering what was going on.

"Who dares interrupt my tournament?!” Shang Tsung demanded.

The front of the audience was quickly cleared out and the assailant was now visible in Shang Tsung's view. The two fighters in the ring immediately stopped what they were doing to see what was going on.

The person had the look of a true demon, with his facial bone structure like a caveman. He wore a dark gray karate gi with a black belt and dark brown sandals. He also wore a traditional Japanese necklace that consisted of large black beads and his fiery red eyes matched his hair which was tied up in a high ponytail.

A red aura surrounded the demon as he approached the two fighters. Immediately, the two tried to gang up on him. The demon took out of them by the head and threw him far out of the ring and disappeared behind the audience. He then threw a blue projectile at the other fighter knocking him out cold.

A handful of guards came out then and threatened the demon with their weapons. The demon looked on as if they were only annoyances. He jumped up, put one leg out, and spun himself around, hitting and knocking all but one of the guards who managed to get out of the way.

Once the demon was back on his feet, the lone guard attempted to take him on himself. When the guard was close enough to the demon, a white light suddenly hit everyone's eyes and only punches and kicks could be heard for a moment. Then, the light disappeared and the guard was left on the ground surrounded by a pool of blood. The demon himself stood with his back towards Shang Tsung, with the Japanese kanji 'Ten' glowing red on his back. He then uttered his name…

"Akuma."

The audience was silent, not knowing what to think of it. However, Akuma's skills left a small smirk on Shang Tsung's face. The sorcerer then spoke out loud to himself…

"It seems that we have a late entry."

~~~

**Forest Area**

Anna continued to follow the figure she believed to be Nina through the forest area. While she followed, Anna became frustrated, wondering why Nina wasn't stopping. Had she suddenly become a coward? Does it have anything to do with her 'mentor?' Whatever it was, Anna hoped that her sister would stop in her tracks soon and stop making her go on a wild goose chase.

After another minute, Anna found herself out of the forest and was now in view of the main palace, where she was staying. _All that for this?_ Anna thought frustrated.

Suddenly, she felt something sharp and cold pressing at her neck. Anna kept still in her place. She had been in worse situations like this so she was able to show no fear. She did, however, manage to shift her eyes to see who was behind the weapon that threatened her life. Her eyes were met with another set of blue eyes. She could see that the person was a tall male with long blonde hair and a white porcelain mask over the rest of his face.

"Why do you follow my dear Viper?" the man demanded calmly.

Anna looked over then and noticed the true person she was following who she now knows as Viper. She had the long blonde hair and green shirt like Nina, but the woman's hair was down while Nina always had her hair up and she had green pants instead of black. Anna admitted to herself that she felt a bit foolish that she thought she was following her sister.

Being in a presence of a man then, Anna decided to use her charm. A warm smile came upon her face. "Forgive me," she purred. "I had thought she was my sister, who I want to kill so badly." She then pursed her ruby red lips a bit. "She and your little friend look so much a like. I mean your friend no harm."

The man let out an amused chuckle and he released Anna from under his three claws. He then slowly took off his mask revealing his flawless complexion. "Forgive me then my dear. My name is Vega and from this point on, I will let no one harm you." Then from his large, loose pocket, Vega took out a fully bloomed red rose and handed it to Anna. "This is for you, just for being beautiful."

Anna smiled more then as she took the rose in her hands. "It's been a long time since someone has given me a gift out of kindness. My name is Anna."

A smirk came on Vega's face. "Anna means gracious, characterized by charm and beauty… indeed a lovely name for a lovely woman."

Anna let out a chuckle feeling quite flattered by Vega's description of her. "And you are very handsome yourself. Why the mask? Why hide your beauty?"

"It's to keep my face in perfection," Vega replied. "With this mask, no harm will ever come upon it."

Their fun suddenly ended then when they heard someone clearing their throat. Vega and Anna turned their heads to the noise and noticed Sagat approaching them. Once he was close enough, he briefly looked over at Anna, then at Vega before speaking.

"This is the anonymous note that was sent to me morning," Sagat said. As he spoke, Viper brought herself closer to the small group silently.

"What does it say?" Vega asked as he placed the mask back over his face.

Sagat opened the letter and read it. "You are to head North into the forest where you will meet a person two miles in next to a broken statue. Be there, or else." Sagat looked up then. "The letter seems suspicious to me. It could be a trap."

"Relax," Vega said. "Trap or not, we'll be prepared to cut them up like ribbons."

"Fine," Sagat replied with a sigh. "But if is a trap, I'll have your head." He then began heading into the forest with Viper following him.

Vega looked over at Anna. "Why don't you come along with us my dear? I'm sure you'll have fun."

Anna smiled. "I'm sure I will."

With that, the two began following Sagat and Viper into the forest.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Quan Chi opened a door that lead to one of the torture chambers in the dungeon area. A long day indeed, he thought. Especially for the victims of this chamber.

He decided that he had enough being down in the chambers for the night since he spent nearly the entire day there. Before shutting the door behind him, he looked back at the spiked sarcophagus near the back of the small room. There was a little window on the top, which viewed the wide eyes of it's latest victim… a female participant of the tournament who questioned Shang Tsung's motives the night before. Quan Chi was unaware of what torture she endured before she was handed over to him. The only command he was given was to kill her in this room and that was what he did.

Then, one of Shao Kahn's minions, Baraka, came by. Normally, Baraka didn't stop for anything, only went about his business. However, since he was a tarkatan, he was able to smell the blood of the dead woman in the sarcophagus. He stopped for a moment and took in the scent that Quan Chi assumed was paradise to him.

"I love the smell of her blood," Baraka said to Quan Chi.

The sorcerer smirked. "It's a shame that she had to be killed, really. She was a very beautiful woman." Then, a sadistic thought came to his head. He looked over at the tarkatan who continued to smell the aroma of the dead woman's blood. "You've done a good job today Baraka. My reward to you is her body. I imagine that you will have quite a feast tonight."

Baraka nodded and bowed to the sorcerer as thanks. Quan Chi chose that moment to take his leave.

Later, Quan Chi returned to his quarters for the night. It was a large room, mostly green and black with a fireplace with a dark cherry wood border, which he took a moment to light up, along with various furniture and bookshelves with a large window on the wall opposite the entry. After spending countless years in the Netherrealm, sleep was non-existent to the sorcerer. He pondered on what to do now since his daily routine was completed until sunrise.

Then, he remembered the scroll that was hidden in his desk. He sat down at the desk, which stood a few feet in front of the fireplace, the back of the chair turned to it. He then opened the drawer, and took the scroll out. He didn't bother to open it. Instead, he stared at the rolled up scroll. Sure, he told Shao Kahn about the medallion and even offered it to him. However, Quan-Chi kept the scroll to himself, revealing the existence of the artifact to no one.

Some would wonder why Quan Chi gave the medallion to Shao Kahn and didn't keep it for himself. This was because it was a way for Quan Chi to get rid of Shao Kahn and rule the realms himself. What no one knew about the medallion was that the it would slowly consume the current wielder and destroy them. Quan Chi had heard this from someone who knew the last person who wielded the medallion. So while the Emperor was slowly being destroyed, Quan Chi himself would look for the source that made the medallion. Even if the medallion is the most powerful artifact ever known, even that artifact _had_ to have a source. Once the sorcerer found that source, he would have all means in controlling the medallion so that it didn't destroy him.

So that no one suspected him in the meantime, Quan Chi personally allied himself with Shang Tsung, who was the only person other than Shao Kahn allowed to be in control of the medallion. He knew that the shape shifter wasn't easily fooled, so Quan Chi had to be careful around him. He already tricked Shang Tsung by thinking that he was granting Shao Kahn over the realms by giving him the medallion. He showed his false alliance by making it seem like, to the Emperor, that he worshipped him. With Shang Tsung as his 'ally,' the shape shifter wouldn't suspect Quan Chi's true intentions.

Since their declared alliance, they hadn't really talked much about it. Besides, it seemed too early for any good plans at the moment.

As Quan Chi continued to ponder over his thoughts, he suddenly heard a loud burst from behind him. Quan Chi quickly turned around and noticed that the flames in the fireplace had grown rapidly. Quan Chi only found this unusual at first, but that thought quickly changed when he noticed that the embers of the flames were shaped into skulls.

Before the sorcerer could even react to the skull-shaped embers, the dark brown door was suddenly kicked down with such force that it broke off the hinges and flew a few yards back. Quan Chi jumped from his desk as the door crashed into it, then slipped on to the ground. The sorcerer looked at where the door once was and became shocked by the person who welcomed himself in.

" **You!** " Quan Chi cried out.

At the door was the sorcerer's nemesis… the ninja spectre Scorpion!

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Palace, Unknown Area**

Thanks to a native of Outworld, Havik, Kabal, and Kira were able to find the palace Shao Kahn resided in. The walk was long, but once they were able to view the palace area where they stood, the long walk seemed worth it. Originally, they had waited for anyone involving the rumored developing army to approach them and offer their place in the army. However, the three grew impatient and decided to approach the Emperor themselves.

Silently, they approached the entrance. Standing by the doors were two Outworld soldiers guarding the entrance from intruders. They quietly went around the statues to avoid being seen and once they were close enough, Kabal and Kira went up to each guard and, almost in unison, wrapped their arms around their necks and snapped them with ease.

"Excellent," Havik said as he walked towards the door. He opened the heavy door and soon, the three of them made their way into the palace, which was only lit with candles mounted against the wall, however it didn't bring enough light. Kabal found a lit torch amongst the wall and decided to use it. He took it off from the base and continued his way through the long hall with the others.

They went up the stairway and went up to the top floor, which was actually the third level up in the palace. Immediately upon entrance, countless guards immediately surrounded the trio. Fortunately, Havik, Kabal, and Kira were prepared and they quickly drew their weapons out.

Even with the Black Dragon outnumbered, the three still managed to take down the guards with ease, taking each guard down with a few quick maneuvers. When the last guard was taken down, they looked around to see if any other guard was around. After a moment, they let their guard down.

"For a powerful Emperor, he sure hired the worst guards," said Kira.

"They were only meant as test subjects," a booming voice called out from not too far. Havik, Kabal, and Kira immediately looked around, wondering where the voice came from. Then, a large figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Shao Kahn?" Havik asked, feeling uncertain.

Shao Kahn nodded. "I have been watching you three since the tournament began. I had planned to recruit you to my army… but it would seem that there is no need to test you. You all possess the skills you need to be in my army."

Havik and Kabal immediately got on their knees and bowed to the Emperor. Kira was a bit reluctant at first, but then she decided to go along and joined her allies in bowing to Shao Kahn.

"What a coincidence," said Havik as he looked up at the Emperor. "That is exactly what Kabal, Kira, and I came for in the first place. We have always believed in your desires wish to assist you."

Shao Kahn stood there for a moment. He had already recognized Kabal from the days of his invasion of Earth years ago, having been attacked by one his Shokans at that time. He had thought that Kabal would join the side of good, but that no longer seemed the case. Besides, the Emperor was able to sense pure darkness in all of their hearts, another qualification for the developing army.

However, there was something about Havik that made him hesitate. "You are the cleric of Chaos… Havik is your name, isn't it?"

Havik nodded. "Yes, I am Havik."

Shao Kahn stared at the Chaosrealm native suspiciously. "Why would a cleric of Chaos believe in my cause?"

Havik slightly straightened himself up. "You have Chaos within you, something I most admire. Chaosrealm strives for the same causes you do. I feel that if you and I join together, we can accomplish our goals much more easily."

Shao Kahn stared at the three for a moment, wondering if he really should let them in. He then notice Kira and a thought came to him. He had a secret plan for himself, one that he just wasn't about to reveal just yet. Upon that thought, he made his decision;

"…There are a few more tests you must pass before I recruit you. If you would follow me, I will show you to the testing room. Once you all passed the tests, I will tell you of my plans."

All three nodded as they got to their feet and followed the Emperor further into the hall. Kabal stared at the Emperor as they continued on.

 _When the time comes,_ the Black Dragon leader thought. _The medallion will be ours._

~~~

**Forest Area**

Although it was a two mile walk, it didn't seem long before Sagat, Vega, Viper, and Anna found the broken statue where they were supposed to meet an unknown person, most likely the one who had sent them the anonymous letter. The four of them were silent, prepared for anything that could happen.

Then, after five minutes, Sagat broke the silence. "I swear, if this is a trick-"

"This is no trick my friend." a voice called out from behind. The four of them turned around and were quite surprised to see Shang Tsung standing there before them. "You are here just in time, I had just finished the final match of this round."

"Hmph," mutter Vega. He then spoke louder. "I assume you were the one who wrote the letter?"

"It was actually the Emperor himself," the sorcerer mentioned. "However, he was not able to personally meet you since he has other matters to take care of so I came in his place." Shang Tsung stepped forward a few times towards the four. "Shao Kahn is quite pleased with your performances. You possess great skills and we wish to have you in our army."

Sagat stared at the sorcerer suspiciously. "I'm not the one to trust so easily-"

Even before the former Muay Thai Champion could finish his statement, Shang Tsung knew what he meant. "I guarantee you that you will have free will." He briefly looked at Viper, knowing that wasn't exactly the truth in her case. "No one will suspect that you were recruited. You will be tested further based on your combat skills. If you pass, you will have plenty of accesses within the tournament. If you prove worthy and become our Generals, you may even have access to _Chishio No Me._ "

Immediately, Vega jumped in. "This sounds promising. When can we get started?"

Sagat cut in then. "This all sounds too easy. No one would just offer access to the medallion. Even if you didn't offer it to me, I have no interest in the artifact anyway."

Shang Tsung smirked then. Sagat was clearly the smartest fighter he had seen in a while. Already, the sorcerer was impressed. "Let me ask you this… if you won this tournament, what would you do with the medallion, considering that you have no interest in owning the artifact?"

Sagat was silent, not really sure how to answer the question. However, Shang Tsung answered for him. "Perhaps it could a means to regain your lost honor."

After a moment, Sagat sighed. _Maybe I do have use for the medallion after all…_ "Where do we begin?" he asked without much enthusiasm.

"Later tonight," the sorcerer replied. He then looked at Anna, almost immediately intrigued by her beauty. "Why don't you come along for the ride my dear? This could be a way for you to settle your score with your sister."

Anna almost became shock at the mention of Nina. This guy already knew what she wanted and she only met him no more than five minutes ago. This indeed impressed her. He was definitely going to give her what she wanted.

The young woman smiled. "Surely Mr. Tsung. I'm sure the ride will be quite fun."

"Good," the sorcerer said. "Meet me here at ten o'clock tonight. Do not be late."

And with that, they separated, all looking forward to tonight's meeting.

~~~

**Quan Chi's Quarters**

The sorcerer Quan Chi couldn't believe what he was seeing as he stared into the pale eyes of his greatest nemesis, Scorpion. During his stay in the Netherrealm, the ninja spectre had done nothing but torture him, which would've last for eternity had it not been for his escape. The worse of it was that the longer the sorcerer stayed in the Netherealm, the weaker he became.

It was true that Quan Chi was responsible for deceiving him, having killed his family and clan, the Shirai Ryu, and made the spectre think that the brother of the current Sub-Zero was responsible for the terrible deed. And even if it killed him again and again, Scorpion would not rest until he was completely satisfied with his revenge.

" **YOU!** " Quan Chi cried out. "How did you get here?"

Scorpion didn't answer him. Instead, he disappeared in a ball of flame, then reappeared behind and above the sorcerer. Quan Chi had fought Scorpion so many times that he practically memorized the spectre's tactics in combat. Immediately, Quan Chi was able to duck down before Scorpion could kick him in the back of the head and instead flew over him and landed back on the ground.

Quan Chi straightened himself up as Scorpion turned himself around, immediately launching a spear from his hand. Quan Chi intentionally ran towards the weapon and before it could hit him, the sorcerer ducked back, then skied across to Scorpion's feet. He attempted to lift a food to push the spectre up, but Scorpion saw it coming and he quickly stepped out of the way.

Once the two straightened themselves up, Scorpion shot out a fireball as Quan Chi shot out a green, skull-shaped projectile. The two projectiles immediately collided causing an explosion and setting some parts of the room on fire.

As though on instinct, the two enemies ran towards each other and immediately threw punches and kicks at each other, both playing offense and defense, in hopes of overpowering the other.

Then suddenly, a handful of guards ran into the room, having heard the commotion not too far from them. A couple of the men pulled Quan Chi back in order to protect him, but this made the sorcerer furious. He grabbed both of them by the neck and threw them across the room in order to get them out of his way. However, by the time he was finished with them, the other guards have completely surrounded Scorpion.

The ninja spectre looked at each of the guards. Even if he killed all of them, he knew that it would buy time for Quan Chi to escape. He immediately eyed the sorcerer.

"You win this time sorcerer," Scorpion called out. "But this is not over!" Then, with a flash of fire, Scorpion vanished.

Quan Chi used his powers to extinguish the blaze in the room. He then looked at his guards angrily. "I don't need any of you to protect me! Leave here at once before I kill you all!" None of the guards thought twice on Quan Chi's command as they all scrambled out of the room.

As everything finally calmed down, a thought suddenly came to Quan Chi. As he smirked to himself, he picked up the medallion's scroll, which survived the attack. "I was able to defend myself against the maggot with ease…" He smirk then turned into a sadistic grin.

"I am no longer bound in the Netherrealm," he said to himself. "My powers have regained themselves since my arrival in Outworld. With the medallion, I may become even more powerful than the spectre himself. If he thinks he's suffering now, then he has no idea what's going to come for him."

With his powers combined with strength from the medallion, he would finally be rid of Scorpion for good.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Nearly 11 Years Ago; Brockport, California**

_Eleven-year-old Scott K. Wagner was eating dinner with his parents and fourteen-year-old sister Lisa in the small dining room. The smell of roast turkey and gravy filled the air in the house. His father was talking about his job, but it seemed like he was talking in riddles. His mother, who always worried about her husband, looked at him with concern. Normally, she didn't have the concerned look on her face, but this time, her lips frowned and her light brows arched up a bit._

_Scott just finished eating dinner. He placed the fork and knife on the plate filled with crumbs from the food he had just eaten. "I'm done," he announced._

_His mother managed to smile at him. "Okay Scott," she said. "Just put your dishes in the sink and do your homework."_

_Scott nodded and placed his dishes in the sink. He looked at his family, who ate the rest of their dinners in silence. Scott sighed and left the kitchen. He began to go upstairs when he suddenly heard his mother shriek in terror, her frantic voice echoing throughout the house. He ran back downstairs and towards the dining room, but then he suddenly stopped in his tracks. There was a big man floating from the ground in the room. Yellow electric shocks floated around his body along with a rainbow colored aura. He wore a red army uniform, steel boots and gloves, a long gray cape, and a hat with a low visor in the front of his face. Scott would never forget the glowing white eyes._

_"Mr. Wagner," the man said. "It's good to see you together with your wife and daughter."_

_Scott raised an eyebrow when the man didn't mention about him. 'He must not know that I'm here,' he thought. He backed up a little more then._

_Mr. Wagner stood up. "You leave my family out of this you demon! What do you want?!"_

_The man smirked sadistically. The yellow shocks got bigger then. "You've failed the mission I've given you. For failing, you will watch your family die."_

_"You can't do this!" Mr. Wagner cried, but before he did anything, the man teleported behind Mrs. Wagner, took her by the neck and crack! He wrenched Mrs. Wagner's neck with his massive hand. Her eyes glazed over after she drew her final breath._

_Scott's heart stopped suddenly at the site of his dead mother. The man dropped the older woman with a thud. The young boy wanted to scream, but he knew that his father would want him to stay quiet._

_"Oh my God!" Mr. Wagner cried. Turning to his daughter, he shouted, "Lisa, get out of here!"_

_Lisa, with tears flowing freely from her eyes, got up and began to run, but the man teleported in front of her. He grabbed her and lifted her up in the air. Lisa shrieked for life, but her scream was quickly cut off as the man snapped her neck with only one hand. Within seconds, her eyes rolled back and her limbs went limp._

__NO! _Scott cried out in his head._ What is he doing to my family?! __

_"You bastard!" Mr. Wagner cried as tears began to form in his eyes._

_The man only smirked. "And now Mr. Wagner... your death." He teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the neck. He pinned Mr. Wagner against the wall and lifted him up. The man tightened his grip around his neck cutting off his air supply._

_Between the loud shocks, no one was able to hear Scott cry out, "DAD! NO!"_

_Scott only stayed long enough to watch his father's body went limp. Scott then began to sprint out of the house without a thought. Just as he was in the front yard, the house suddenly exploded. Scott dove into the street, went behind his father's car and covered his head. What he didn't realize was that yellow shocks spread through the backyard and the front yard and over Scott, who's eyes were shut. The yellow energy caused Scott's body to jolt for a quick second._

_Scott stood back up on his feet slowly and looked at his body. He gasped as he saw yellow electric shocks surrounding his body._

_What's happening to me! he thought to himself with fear. Before he knew it, he fell forward with a thud and blackness washed over his consciousness..._

**8 Months Ago; Thailand.**

_Only a few days ago this woman, who called herself Viper, had taken him to the main Shadaloo base and now she was standing in front of him, ready to fight him despite his weak state. And when he looked deep into her midnight blue eyes, it all hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt like a complete idiot for not seeing it before when he first saw her._

_For the last ten years, he had thought that his only sibling, his sister Lisa, was killed when Bison invaded his home and killed her and his parents. Now, she stood in front of him, alive and well… except she was no longer Lisa… she was Viper._

_"Lisa…" Wagner said as he tried to hold back tears._

_"That is not my name," Viper said. She sprinted towards him and went to attack him, but before so, everything went black…_

~~~

**Present Day; Outworld**

Wagner sprang upward as he sat up in his bed and gasped for air. He sat there for a moment, trying to recollect oxygen in his lungs. He could also feel the cold sweat on his forehead.

"I haven't had that dream in a while…" Wagner muttered to himself as he wiped the sweat off with his hand. Then, as he managed to catch his breath, thoughts of the dream came back to him and his heart nearly broke at the thought of his sister…

"Lisa…" he muttered once again. "Where are you?"

That day in Thailand was a day he would never forget… the day he found out that Lisa was alive, but under the grasps of Shadaloo. He wasn't able to save her that day, having been kidnapped once again by Bison, his parents' killer. Not only that, but he had also lost one of his comrades the very same night; his roommate Jake Katzman, killed by Bison's own hands. Wagner had moved on from the loss for the most part, considering Bison was now eradicated, but he wasn't completely at peace yet. He still had to save his only surviving family member, someone who shared his bloodline.

Back on Earth, he was part of a unit that performed Operation: Lisa, named after his sister, to rescue girls kidnapped by Shadaloo. There were sixteen girls, all who were considered 'dolls.' Fifteen of the 'dolls' have been freed, but Lisa was the only one who was never rescued. Bison was eradicated and almost all traces of Shadaloo were gone… and Lisa went missing.

Since then, it has been Wagner's mission to find Lisa. He didn't care if it cost his life… he at least wanted to die knowing that his sister was going to be all right.

After all, there was one high point in the operation… he had the honor to help rescue one of the girls alongside Cammy, Chun Li, and Guile on a secret missing in Asia. The girl was named Juni, who had been reported missing five years from her homeland of Germany. She has since returned there and was currently training with a private military branch, something she had chosen to do.

Wagner rubbed his head a bit after all that thinking then. He laid himself back down and tried to go back to sleep. However, after nearly an hour, he realized that there was no use in trying. Not letting himself think about anything else, he got himself up, put on a pair of jeans, and walked out of his room.

 _Well, at least we have another day before the second round of the tournament,_ he thought feeling groggy then.

Soon he found himself outside. It was still dark, but Wagner was able to tell by the small line of light in the distance that it was beginning to become dawn. Then, a chill ran through his body.

"Gee," he said to himself. "I know it's normally cold in the morning, but this is just ridiculous."

"Who's there?" a deep voice called out. Wagner turned his head a couple of time before he spotted a man wearing a black and blue attire sitting under a tree. He sat with his legs crossed in a lotus position and Wagner immediately assumed he was meditating.

The young man then recognized them. The man was called Sub-Zero, one of those staying in the cave. Wagner felt a bit surprised to see him because he almost never saw him.

"Um, I'm sorry if I disturbed you," Wagner said and began to walk off.

However, Sub-Zero also recognized him. The ice ninja waved his hand then. "You seem tense… perhaps you should meditate."

Wagner was surprised by the friendly gesture. He didn't think Sub-Zero was the type to invite someone as young as he was, or even socialized with anyone for that matter, but it turned out he had guessed wrong. The young man then decided to sit where he stood. He then crossed his legs the same way as the ice warrior's and closed his eyes.

He tried to clear his mind, but the visions of his dreams came back to him. He sighed a few times, which caught Sub-Zero's attention after a while.

"You shouldn't let thoughts bother you," the Lin Kuei grandmaster said. "You are kind of like my student Frost… she tries hard, but she lets the small things bother her."

Wagner opened his eyes then and stared at the older man. "So I remind you of a girl?"

A small chuckle came out of Sub-Zero, amused by the comment.

Then, the airman stood up. "Thanks for trying… unfortunately this isn't working for me."

"You are welcome to join me again when you need to," Sub-Zero said.

Wagner nodded. "Thanks." The young man then headed back into the cave as Sub-Zero continued with his own meditation.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Daybreak shined as the sun began to appear from behind the distanced mountains of Outworld. However, it was something Shao Kahn didn't care for as he approached the dungeon area. He walked through the halls, intimidating prisoners and guards alike with his presence.

His destination was the largest cell in the dungeon, the one that inhabited the monster Berserk. Shao Kahn had been very pleased with Berserk's assignments with torturing soon-to-be-dead victims that he decided to reward him. The reward was what Berserk definitely deserved for his loyalty towards the Emperor.

Just as the Emperor was beginning to approach the cell, a loud scream was heard, which was quickly cut off as a slice was heard, followed by a thump. Shao Kahn approached the door and saw the cut up body of Berserk's latest victim, a man. The man's arms and legs were mutilated and was now decapitated. Shao Kahn took out the medallion then and used it to control Berserk's rage before entering the cell.

Berserk looked over at the Emperor with his transparent eyes. "M… master…" the monster muttered.

Shao Kahn smirked with satisfaction of hearing that word. "Good Berserk… I have come here to congratulate you. You have been very loyal to me and have been very cooperative. I want to reward you for that. I know you love the thrill of the fight… so as part of round two of the tournament, I would like for you to fight in a match… Shang Tsung will be picking the fighter and you'll be facing them on the last day of round two."

Berserk slightly nodded then as he slightly bowed his head to his master. "Y... yes... H…honored…"

"Good… now be patient. I'm sure another victim will be on their way so you can have more fun while you wait."

Shao Kahn then closed the cell door and went down the hall. Once he was at the end of the hall, the medallion's influence on Berserk was released, which was followed by a loud roar.

The Emperor exited the dungeon when he heard a pair of footsteps coming his way. Shao Kahn turned his head and recognized two of his Generals of his army… Tanya and Ermac. The two immediately got on their knees and bowed to him.

A thought came to Shao Kahn then, something that was a part of his secret plan. "You two have been very loyal since the tournament began. I will reward you… but first I want you to take up a minor task."

Tanya looked up then. "What assignment do you have for us, master?"

Shao Kahn looked at the female General. "I'm glad you asked Tanya… I want you and Ermac to go out and find me a person for the torture of the dungeons. I don't care who it is, but preferably someone who is alone when you find them."

Tanya and Ermac bowed to him again. "It shall be done master," Ermac said, his voice echoing.

The two loyal Generals got up and left the area. Once they did, they ended up separating.

~~~

**Outdoor Hot Springs**

"Ah, that felt good," said Lita as she put on a pair of sandals on her feet. "It's always nice to take a bath in the springs in the morning."

"Tell me about it," said Cammy as she placed her wet towel in her duffle bag. "I'm surprised no one was really here this morning."

"Me either," her Delta Red ally replied.

The two woman soon made their way out of the dressing area of the hot springs and began walking down the hilly path which would lead them back to the cave area. Strange noises were heard from deep in the forest area, but Cammy and Lita assumed that they were from species of animals that lived in Outworld… at least they hoped.

"It's too bad we haven't really found anything other than Nightwolf's visions," said Lita. "Let's see now… first, Interpol is investigating on the suspicions of the invitation they received and joined with us once they found out we were hunting small terrorist groups… then both Special Forces and the US Air Force are hunting down the terrorist groups such as The Black Dragon and former Shadaloo members… and us… we're doing the same thing of course, only with just Shadaloo… but we've been here for how long? Nine bloody days! And we _still_ haven't found anything!"

"It is quite early when you think about it," answered Cammy. "We've only been through the first round of the tournament and we only have seven to go. My hunch is that we won't really find anything until near the end of the tournament."

Lita let out a small sigh then. "With me losing the tournament, it's going to feel much, much longer. And besides… we also found nothing on that medallion other than being it supposedly being the most 'powerful' artifact in the universe, and that the Emperor is holding it for the winner of the tournament."

"Guile hopes we'll make our move before or around round seven," Cammy mentioned. "That way it'll give us a chance to warn potential winners to be careful with it and get more information… just in case anything happened."

Once again, Lita let out a small sigh. "In the meantime, I hope I find something that'll kill my time…"

They then reached the bottom of the hill where the women and men's hot springs path separate. Cammy found herself looking straight ahead then and suddenly saw Jin Kazama. She immediately remembered their first 'encounter' right here in the springs and the young blonde's cheeks immediately turned red.

Jin ended up noticing her as well and the two of them stared at each other for a bit as he also remembered the last time they saw each other. Meanwhile, Lita was looking at both of them in confusion, wondering what was going on.

After a moment of this, Jin slightly bowed his head to Cammy. " _Konnichiwa,_ " he uttered. He then straightened his head and headed towards the men's springs. Cammy continued to keep her eyes on him, quite surprised that he said hello to her in Japanese.

Once Jin was far enough, Cammy suddenly felt a nudge on her right arm. She looked over in that direction and noticed Lita staring at her with a sadistic smirk on her face. Cammy then knew exactly what her friend was thinking.

"Don't even start," Cammy warned her as she began walking away. Since she walked in a quick pace, Lita had to run a few feet to catch up to her.

"Now now," Lita said, her smirk now a grin. "Now why didn't you tell me you met a good-looking bloke? Come on Cammy, tell me all about him!"

Cammy found herself growling a bit. "I hardly know him Lita."

"Sure you don't! I bet you've already seen him naked!"

Cammy's face turned completely red then. So then Lita didn't see it, she starting running off.

Lita looked at Cammy a bit surprised. "Hey! I was just joking!" She then started running after her.

~~~

**Forest Area**

Sitting on a large rock, Alex looked on at the trees that surrounded her. The breeze was the only noise that she head as they hit the leaves on the tall trees causing them to sway with the light wind.

 _This was definitely what I needed,_ the Special Forces agent thought.

This morning had been quite noisy to say the least. She ended up joining with Li Mei for breakfast, who was wide awake and talking in her usual run-on sentences. At least Li Mei understood when Alex announced that she was going to go for a walk for a while and wanted to be alone.

Once she decided to sit on the rock while walking, Alex soon felt her mind clear up as she let herself enjoy the nature around her, despite the fact that she was in Outworld.

Despite only have a few items and the clothes on her back (since she boarded the ship at the last second), Alex admitted that she was enjoying herself… being surrounded by good people and managing to make it to round two of the tournament.

However, there was one thing that bothered her a bit. Back on the ship, she remembered Rose's words to her… _Alex, your lack of willingness to share your problems will consume you if you let it. Don't try to bottle them up._

As far as she could tell, Alex didn't have a lot of problems to share with anyone at the moment. Sure, life was definitely not perfect, but who wants to hear about her little first world problems and worries?

 _The things I've seen in my own career is proof that I could definitely have much worse problems,_ she concluded in her mind.

Alex soon found herself standing on her feet. She had decided to walk a little more before returning to the cave area. If her timing was right, Yin was going to be cooking lunch by the time she returned. Alex never tried her food, but she had heard from a lot of people in the cave that she was the best cook out of everyone. If that was true, then Alex didn't want to miss the opportunity.

It was then that she heard footsteps not too far from her. Alex looked around a bit wondering who was around. The agent stood there and continued to listen to the footsteps. After a while, she realized that the footsteps were coming towards her.

"Sonya?" Alex called out.

Suddenly, a sadistic laugh coming from a female was heard. "I'm not _that_ ugly!" the voice called out. Suddenly, Alex heard a whistle-like noise. She quickly turned around just in time to see a large boomerang coming towards her. Alex attempted to dodge out of the way, but it was only enough that the flying weapon scratched her face and cause her to slightly bleed. Alex clenched her teeth from the small impact as she ignored the stinging pain.

She then watched as the boomerang came back and was caught by a hand. Alex saw the woman in full view then. She had a dark tan and wore a yellow and black swimsuit-like attire with matching boots. Her long black hair consisted of thick bangs and she had a set of pale eyes which had black paint surrounded it.

"The name's Tanya by the way," the woman said as she place her boomerang back on her belt. "And I am ordered to take you back to the Emperor."

Alex narrowed her eyes. “What the hell for? That is if you're even inclined to answer.”

“He just wanted the first person we see who's alone. Didn't anyone tell you it's not safe to walk through the woods alone, let alone Outworld's woods? Now you'll face the consequences.”

Alex got into her fighting stance then. "You seem quite confident since you announced your intentions. Quite a mistake if you ask me. Well, unfortunately for you, you're not taking me anywhere without a fight."

Tanya smirked then. "I'm not surprised. Very well then. Don't be surprised if you lose so quickly."

And with that, the two women charged towards each other.

~~~

**Near The Cave Area**

After some time with meditation, Ryu decided to head back to the cave, hoping that lunch would be ready soon. He nearly swore that, besides being attacked by someone, that his stomach was the only other thing that would distract him from his meditation.

Ryu's mind was clear, not think about much. That was until he heard someone running around nearby. More noises followed, including a moving object brushing against the ground and light panting. Curiosity got the best of Ryu so he decided to go look and see what was going on.

He only had to walk about ten yards when he saw a figure passing by a tree. Ryu got a better look at the person and immediately recognized Mika. She was running back and forth with a rope wrapped around her waist. Ryu wondered why she had a rope around her waist when he then noticed the large tire that was dragged behind her.

 _Interesting,_ the Ansatsuken fighter thought.

Ryu was then about to leave when he suddenly heard his name being called out. He turned around in reply to his name and noticed that Mika had stopped running and was now looking at him with a small smile on her face.

"Um, hi," Ryu managed to say. He looked at the tire again. "Say, where did you get that thing? Do they even exist in this world?"

Mika looked back at the tire she was training with. "It's funny, I found it in the lounge room in the cave. Honestly, I'm not sure where it's from or if it's even from Outworld at all."

Ryu shrugged his shoulders. Then, Mika undid the knot of the rope around her waist. An idea came to her then as she looked at Ryu. "So, what are you up to?"

"Not much," Ryu answered. "I'm just returning from my meditation. Do you know if lunch is ready yet?"

"Yin was going to spread the word once it was done," Mika mentioned. "In the meantime, I was hoping to do some more training and with someone this time. Would you like to be my sparing partner?"

Ryu didn't even take a second to think about it. "Sure. I'm always in for training with another person."

"Great!" Mika replied happily. Ryu stepped a couple of feet forward when he suddenly found himself being tackled to the ground by Mika. "Gotcha!" she cried out.

"Hey!" Ryu cried out as he struggled to get out of Mika's strong grip. "I wasn't even ready!" Then he managed to get out of the grip and began his sparring session with her.

During the spar, it was a mix of the Ansatsuken arts and wrestling. Both of them watched the other in hopes of getting an opening. Mika admitted that Ryu was very strong and much more focused than any fighter she's ever fought. Ryu himself was impressed with Mika's skills. He had fought other wrestlers before, but not ones quite like she. She definitely had a unique style.

As they continued to spar, Julia Chang happened to pass by them after her own self training. She had been near the edge of the forest area knowing that she would have some time alone to herself without disturbance. As she was returning to the cave area, she noticed Ryu and Mika sparring.

Julia found herself hidden behind a tree as she looked on at the two. She was impressed with the skills they both possessed and she would love to have the opportunity to spar with both of them someday.

She then noticed Ryu a bit more as he got a bit of the upper hand. His face had an emotionless expression as he concentrated on the fight. A small smirk appeared on Julia's face. She admired his dedication to fighting and how he was opened to sparring with everyone he came in contact with.

After another moment, she decided to leave the area and walked away. She ended up missing the moment when Mika grabbed the back of Ryu's pants and yanked it upward.

"OWE!" Ryu cried out. "Are you even allowed to do that?"

Mika giggled a bit. "Sorry, it's sparring tradition."

~~~

**Just A Few Feet Outside The Cave**

"Hey Yin!" Yun called out as he stepped out of the cave. "Is lunch almost ready?"

Yin looked at her brother with a bit of annoyance. "You know… if you had helped Yang and I with the food, we would've been able to finish it much more quickly!"

Yun showed off a goofy grin as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, sorry. If I had known that you two were cooking, I would've helped." He then noticed the food that was being made. "Hey! You're making curry chicken!"

He was about to reach for the large spoon that was in the chicken and rice, but Yang saw him and smacked his hand away. "You have to wait like everyone else, Yun. Maybe we could've gave you some now had you helped us."

"Drat," Yun muttered.

"Hey guys," a female voice said. All three of them looked up and noticed Maki standing over them. Yang could've swore he felt his heart flutter a bit at the sight of her. "Is lunch almost ready?"

"It'll probably be another half hour," replied Yin. "Good thing we have hot plates with us."

"Well hopefully, with all the dishes Rose has been throwing at Raiden," mentioned Yang. "Let's hope these plates survive."

"Tell me about it," Maki agreed.

Yun spoke then. "Well, this tournament seems to be going pretty well so far. And I know _I'm_ going to last the longest."

Yin glared at her brother then. "Don't be so cocky Yun! Just because you made it to the next round, that doesn't mean you're going to win that round!"

"Look who's talking? I sense cockiness in you as well."

This made Yin furious then. "I wasn't the one who said I was going to last through the tournament!"

The two began arguing to the point where Yang lost track of what they were saying. He sighed to himself and turned he head towards Maki. "Siblings… isn't it a wonderful thing?" he said a bit sarcastically.

"Yeah," Maki replied with a bit of a sigh as she thought about her deceased sister Rena. "But then again, no matter how much you fight, you never know how close you really were until one's time passes in this world."

Yang sighed as well. "Yeah, you're right." He then decided to change the subject. "Hey! The second round of the tournament begins tomorrow. Are you excited?"

Maki's grim face turned a bit brighter then. "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm so glad to be here and able to fight great fighters all over the universe."

"Me too," Yang agreed. "That reminds me." He looked a Maki a bit seriously. "That guy you fought in the first round… Master Christopher… I heard that he went missing the night after your match with him."

Maki cringed a bit at the thought of the match she had with him. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a little sympathy towards her former opponent. "Does anyone know what happened to him?"

Yang shook his head. "Well, I only heard it over from a group of people at a table during dinner in the main palace. I assumed they were allies of his and were worried about him. They weren't sure what happened… he just disappeared during the night."

The young blonde nodded then. "I see. Well, I hope for his friends' sake that they find him."

"Yeah. I can't help but feel bad either, even after what he did to you."

Maki smirked a little. "It's all right. It's over and we don't have to worry much about it anymore."

Yang nodded in agreement then. He then heard a loud scream coming from his brother. He and Maki turned their heads and saw that Yin had taken Yun's hat and threw it a few yards back.

"I hate it when you do that!" Yun cried out as he chased his hat, which was blowing away.

"That's what you get for being cocky!" Yin called out.

Even if the action was a bit childish, Yang and Maki couldn't help by chuckle a bit.

~~~

**Inside The Cave**

"Lei?" Chun Li said as she pulled the curtain to his room over to the side. The Interpol agent expected her partner to still be in bed, or at least start getting ready for the day, but was surprised when she saw that he wasn't there.

"Hmm, I wondered where he could be?" Chun Li said aloud to herself. She had been looking for him in order to tell him that there was going to be a meeting with them, Special Forces, Delta Red, and the US Air Force this evening concerning the facts of their mission so far (though right now it's a bit of a disappointment).

She decided to search the back of the cave. Since Lei's room was near the front, Chun Li had to pass a majority of other curtain-closed rooms. As she did, she noticed that one of them was partially opened and a small light peaked through it.

After a moment of staring at the light, curiosity got the best of Chun Li and stepped a couple of feet closer to the room. I wonder what's going on in there.

"Hello?" Chun Li called out as she wrapped her hand on the edge of the curtain. A few seconds passed, but there was no reply.

Chun Li pulled the curtain back then. "Sorry to intrude, but I was curious about the light." She saw the person in the room and was surprised by what she saw.

A green female cyborg was above her own bed floating in mid-air as lights came on and off of her. Although Chun Li had only seen her a few times since coming to Outworld, she remembered the cyborg Matrik.

The only time Chun Li saw her was at meetings and once during one of the days of the tournament. The Interpol agent knew that some of the people staying in the cave kept mainly to themselves and she figured that Matrik was one of them.

"Um, hi there," Chun Li said. There was no answered, but she decided to continue anyway. "My name is Chun Li. I haven't really seen you around much."

Without moving, the green cyborg spoke in a robotic tone. "I am Matrik. I'm sorry, but I wish to be alone right now… perhaps we may chat another time."

Chun Li was a bit taken aback by the request. Then again, she did intrude without Matrik's permission. The Chinese woman decided to respect her wishes then.

However, she wanted to say one thing before she left. "You seem lonely. You can always come to me if you ever want to talk to someone." And with that, she closed the curtain behind her. Unknown to Chun Li, the moment she left, the lights on Matrik slowly dimmed down.

~~~

**Main Palace Grounds**

Heihachi Mishima opened his eyes after sometime of meditating. He had spent most of the morning doing so. The only thing that pulled him out of his meditation… was food. He hadn't bothered to have breakfast this morning and now it was around lunch time.

 _I wonder what they are serving this afternoon,_ he thought.

Before he got up, thoughts of the Bloody Eye medallion came to him. Originally, he had come to Outworld to hunt down his own grandson Jin Kazama in order to retrieve the devil gene power he possessed. This would've been so that he would make the Mishima Zaibatsu more powerful.

Now, with the medallion that's claimed to be the most powerful artifact in the universe, Jin's 'devil gene' power would seem useless now. The power of the medallion would definitely prove to be more of a benefit for the Mishima Zaibatsu than any other powerful source.

He just hoped, if he won the tournament, that it wasn't a hoax. But even if it was, he could always fall back on his original plan.

Heihachi's thoughts were interrupted them by the rumbling of his stomach. He got to his feet then and patted his stomach.

"You know," the Zaibatsu leader said aloud. "I'm in the mood for curry chicken. I wish I knew someone who made good curry chicken."

He then started walking forward back towards the main palace. As he did, he noticed someone from the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw the person in full figure. The person was a woman, a beautiful one as well. Heihachi felt a small smirk creep up on his face.

Ivy Valentine, originally heading to the palace on a spying assignment for Shao Kahn, noticed the older man at the corner of her eye and stared at him with her icy blue eyes. She noticed the small smirk on the man's face and became a bit disgusted. Soon, the man's smirk disappeared, perhaps intimidated by her now.

Both knew instantly that they weren't going to really like each other.

Heihachi noticed the sword that Ivy was carrying. "You know… you are not required to have a sword in order to be a great warrior."

Ivy narrowed her eyes at him. "This sword means more to me than you'll ever know. And besides, I don't need to be lectured by an old fossil like you!"

"Hmph," Heihachi replied. "You really should think before you speak… because you're not so young yourself, wench!"

That did it. Quickly, Ivy lashed out her sword, which uncoiled into eight pieces attached to a single string and threw it at her new enemy. She had expected either the sword to land or for Heihachi to run off like a coward. A small side smirk appeared on her face, satisfied by what may come.

Then suddenly, the sword stopped in mid-air. Ivy became confused at first and wondered why her sword suddenly stopped swinging. Then, she looked at the other end of her sword. Her eyes became wide with shock as she discovered why her sword stopped.

On the other end, Heihachi had managed to catch the sword in mid-air and with a single hand around the string just behind the first piece of sword. It was something Ivy couldn't believe. She had been sword fighting for years and no one had ever caught her sword with their own hands.

Heihachi then looked at Ivy square in the eye. Then, using the sword, he quickly pulled her towards him. Ivy didn't have time to react and she soon found herself slamming her body right into his and was now looking eye to eye.

"Be more careful with who you fight with next time, lady," Heihachi said. Then, to Ivy's surprise, he quickly leaned his head towards her and gave her a kiss right on the lips. He placed one hand on the back of her head and the other around her waist.

 _UGH!_ Ivy cried out in her mind with agony. She struggled to free herself as Heihachi continued to kiss her, and he was obviously enjoying it.

Then, after what seemed like forever (but it was only a few seconds), Heihachi let her go. Ivy spat a few times as she backed away from him.

"You disgusting bastard!" she cried out as her cheeks suddenly turned rosy. "The next time I see you, I will have your head for that!" And with that, she ran off.

For a minute, Heihachi watched her run off until she disappeared behind the trees. "That was fun," he laughed. "Looks like things will be getting more interesting." With that, he began heading back to the palace for lunch.

~~~

**Forest Area**

Throughout most of the fight, Alex had been on defense with Tanya on offense. Alex admitted to herself that Tanya was quick and more likely had more fighting experience than she did. She knew that eventually that she would have to find a way to get on offense before she tired out.

"Is that all you got?" Tanya sneered. "Taking you down is going to be easier than I thought."

"Don't be so sure of yourself," Alex replied. She then managed to bend herself down towards the ground and perform a sweep kick. However, Tanya saw it coming and managed to jump over it, then attempted to kick Alex in the head, which she managed to dodge from before getting back on her feet.

As she did, Alex suddenly saw a figure behind Tanya. She was just about to back away in order to see who else had come, thinking that someone had come to aide Tanya. However, that no longer became the case a loud smack was head and Tanya fell forward unconscious.

"What the…" Alex muttered in surprise. She looked up, still in a fighting stance, to get a good look at Tanya's attack.

Floating just a foot off a ground and surrounded by a green aura was a male stranger. He mostly wore an reddish-orange and black attire with eyes glowing the same color as the aura around him and had a black tape-like garment around his head and eyes.

The two of them stood there for a moment staring at each other. Alex wasn't sure what to make of the person, whether he was friend or foe. Then to her surprise, he turned around, grabbed Tanya, and disappeared behind the trees. Though it seemed he wasn't out to harm her, she still wasn't sure what to think of him.

"Wait!" she called out. She only managed to take two steps forward when she suddenly felt a hand touch her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned around to take a look at who was there. When she recognized her blonde-haired superior, Alex sighed of relief.

"Thanks Sonya," she said. "I almost jumped out of my skin."

"I heard fighting nearby," Sonya mentioned. "I figured I'd check it out, but I guess you took care of things."

Alex sighed. “Yeah... don't ask me what it was about... but let's just say that I'm sure they won't be much of a bother after this.”

"How many were around?" Sonya asked.

"Well, there was a woman, but..." Alex briefly looked down at Tanya, then back at the Captain. “There was this man here… he was glowing in a green color…well, it doesn't matter. However, we have to report this to Guile and the others. The woman who attacked me was going to take me to the Emperor just because she happened to find me alone in the woods."

“Good thing we have that meeting tonight then,” Sonya said. “We'll discuss more about it then.”

"Yeah…" Alex trailed off, now suddenly feeling a bit confused by the ordeal, especially by the green glowing floating person who, for some reason, knocked Tanya out cold and stopped her from finishing the fight. As she and Sonya began their walk back to the cave, it all began to bug her for some reason.

 _Who was that guy anyway?_ Alex thought.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

The day of round two of the tournament had finally arrived. Those who made it to the next round were prepared for it and all hoped to move on to round three in order to get closer to victory. Just like on the first day of round one, each fight received their cards, telling them the date and time of their match and the location. Again, they would not know who they were fighting until the actual match took place.

With the preparations made, round two now begins…

~~~

**Dungeons, Unknown Area**

Shao Kahn stood by a doorway of a torture room impatiently. Yesterday, he sent Ermac and Tanya to find someone to place in the dungeons. They managed to find one woman (someone else Tanya ran into a few hours after being knocked unconscious), but the Emperor wasn't pleased with her, especially since she seemed unaffected by the torture methods. Since she had lost the tournament, he ordered them to kill her, knowing that her death would not affect the tournament.

Tanya and Ermac soon finished the job and they walked out of the room, drying up their bloody hands. They both looked up and were surprised to see Shao Kahn standing there. Immediately, they got on their knees and bow to him.

"We are sorry she didn't please you enough my Emperor," Tanya said. "May we look for another?"

"Forget about it," Shao Kahn answered. "There are other matters that needs to be taken care of. Besides, the next round of the tournament starts today." He then noticed the black and blue bump on the side of the woman's head. "Where did you get that bump from?"

Tanya looked up at the Emperor, surprised that he asked about it. "To be honest master, I don't know. However, I was-"

"Do not concern yourself with that anymore. Now, I want you to go with Ivy on her spying assignments. I don't need you right now. Leave at once."

"Yes master," Tanya replied. She got herself up and left the dungeon.

Shao Kahn turned to Ermac then. The Emperor found it suspicious that he was silent the whole time. He would worry about it later. "As for you Ermac… I want you to stay down here for a few hours to keep an eye on things. That is all."

Ermac nodded. "We will do as you wish, master." He then got up and left.

Shao Kahn decided to leave the dungeon then. He had to put out another assignment to someone who he admitted has done nothing but sit around since this whole thing started. He had promised this being that once things go smoothly that he would assign this person a job.

He went back to the palace and entered a chamber area. He went into one of the chambers and entered without much thought. There, he immediately met eye to eye with Ogre. Using the medallion, Shao Kahn put him under his control.

Ogre was a being who Shang Tsung learned about during one of his studies. According to Earthrealm legends, Ogre was an ancient war weapon left behind by aliens many years ago. He later was worshipped by the Aztec as the God of Fighting. He possessed unspeakable power and loved the thrill of killing, especially those with so much power. However, the being had supposedly been killed about two years ago according to the reports from Earthrealm.

Traveling to Earthrealm just a couple of weeks ago, Shao Kahn's Shadow Priests were able to not only find the being alive, but they managed to capture him. Using the medallion, Shao Kahn was able to control the supposed 'God of Fighting.' Since then, the Emperor gave him the place in the chambers.

Shao Kahn took a few steps forward towards Ogre. "The time has come Ogre. I have an assignment for you. It won't be much of one, but it is a way for you prove your loyalty to me. Until I say so, I want you to spy on the participants of the tournament… even the ones who are serving me. Do not fail me."

Ogre only replied with a single nod.

~~~

**Courtyard**

A few matches came and went in the Courtyard and Shang Tsung felt more pleased than he did during the first round of the tournament. It would seem that the weaker fighters were indeed eliminated and the better fighters were beginning to show their true potential.

By noon, the fight he was looking forward to seeing was about to begin. That was because one of the fighters was someone he knew quite well…

"Kitana!" he called out with a smirk.

The Princess of Edenia stepped into the ring and began walking towards the middle. Briefly, she looked at the sorcerer sitting on his throne. Memories of her past in Outworld came flooding back to her. She had once worked alongside Shang Tsung, the sorcerer who was responsible of creating Mileena, who she once believed to be her twin sister.

Now, years after earning her freedom, she was now going to have a match under his watchful eye. Kitana wondered if she would be able to concentrate. She wished that her mother was here with her, but she too had her own match to attend to in another outdoor arena on the opposite side of the main palace.

Once the Princess got to the middle, her opponent was called out. "Maki!"

Maki felt a bit relieved... she was going to be fighting a woman this time, one who looked to have more respect for other fighters.

 _She looks strong,_ the young blonde thought sighing. She wasn't sure if she was going to win, but she had to try. She could be wrong about Kitana for all she knew.

Maki then heard her friends cheer for her. She turned to them and managed to smile at them. She felt a bit better then and more confident. She just hoped that she didn't lose her pride again like in her last match.

The two women set themselves just a few feet from each other, then got into their fighting stances. "Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

Kitana and Maki stood there for a brief moment before Kitana advanced a few steps towards Maki. The Princess raised her leg and performed a high kick, which Maki blocked right away. Kitana then followed with a right hook which Maki ducked under.

For another minute, they continued like this with Kitana on offense and Maki on defense. Then, Maki decided that she had enough and jumped back a few feet. The distance between them gave her a chance to pull out her two dark brown tonfas.

She then ran forward and began swinging her weapons at her opponent. Kitana dodged the moves, then she pulled a few feet back as well to buy time. From her boots, she pulled out two fans, both which were closed up. Maki had covered the distances between them and attempted to deliver a kick to the Princess's stomach. Kitana quickly straightened herself before blocking the kick with her left forearm.

"You're not bad," Kitana said to Maki as she swung her closed fans at her.

Maki was a bit surprised to hear her opponent make a comment like that in the middle of a fight. "Um, thanks?" she replied, feeling unsure whether the Princess was mocking her or not as she blocked a move with her tonfa.

Their weapons clashed with each other in rhythm then, both of them hoping to get back on full offense. It was then that Maki saw Kitana open up her fans. The thick paper was blue with various designs in white. For a split second, Maki admired the fan… that was until she noticed that on each end of the fold contained a long blade.

"Crap!" Maki cried out as Kitana began swinging her fan blades at her. Maki dodged a couple of times before attempting a block. The weapons seemed stronger then and Kitana was able to knock both weapons out of Maki's hands. To the young blonde's dismay, both of her weapons ended up rolling out of the ring.

"Oh no!" she cried out. Suddenly, she found herself being pulled forward by an unknown force. She looked at Kitana and noticed that the Princess was on one knees and was spinning both of her fans in a clockwise motion. Not having any control then, Maki had no choice by to take the side kick Kitana performed and flew a few feet across the ring, landing on her side.

Kitana stood up and ran towards Maki. Immediately, Maki rolled back, managed to stand on one hand, and spun herself around with one leg out. She managed to hit Kitana who flew back a couple of feet. Maki then flipped forward and got back on her feet. By then, Kitana was on her feet, her weapon placed away on the side of her boots.

The two women then exchanged moves again, pretty much even on both offense and defense. As they fought, Kitana noticed her chance to end the match. Maki, with her back turned to it, was about three feet from the edge. For the Princess, it was now or never.

Kitana jumped up and forward towards Maki. She lifted up one leg and managed a kick to the side of Maki's head. She then lifted up her other leg and did the same thing to the other side. Maki was surprised by this and ended up stumbling back. As Kitana hoped, the young blonde stumbled right out of the ring.

It so happened that Maki's friends were right behind her. Both Sakura and Asuka managed to catch her once both of her feet were completely out of the ring. "Maki!" both girls cried out as their realized that their friend had just lost her match.

Shang Tsung stared at Kitana for a moment before standing up. "Winner: Kitana!" he called out. As normal, the audience clapped in unison.

Maki fell onto her knees, realizing that she had been defeated. "Damn it!" she cried out as she slammed the side of her fist to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes almost right away. Her whole reason of coming to this tournament was to prove that she was worthy enough to fight in a tournament like this one. She had wanted to show everyone at the Bushin dojo that she was worthy of the title of Bushin Master. Now, she realized that she did nothing but fail. She was thankful that Guy wasn't watching her right now. What would he think of her failure right now if he was here?

Maki then got out of her thoughts as she heard a pair of high heels coming towards her. The moment they stopped, Maki looked up and her eyes met with Kitana's.

The Princess offered her a hand. "You are a worthy opponent. I enjoyed our match. Do not think this is the end for you. Just keep up with your practices, and maybe one day, we can have a rematch."

Maki couldn't help but smile. She was then thankful that her reign in the tournament ended the way it did. At least she was beaten by someone who had respect for their opponents rather than being taken down by an arrogant jerk.

The female Bushin ninja took the Princess' hand and she was helped up. "Thank you," Maki answered and she bowed to her. "I won't forget this fight."

Kitana smiled and also bowed before leaving the area. The only real problem for Maki now was, besides training, figuring out how to kill time until the entire tournament was over.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

“Winner: Alex Walker!” the Shadow Priest announced as the latest match ended in a ring-out.

Alex took a deep breath once the fight was over. In a way, she felt a bit disappointed by the match mainly because her opponent didn't put up much of a fight the whole time. Still, upon returning to the sidelines, she was greeted by her allies, all who had a match today. She just happened to be the first to be called upon this morning.

“Nice job!” Wagner complimented as she stepped over the ropes.

“That looked like an easy win,” Sonya mentioned. “Maybe someone who got lucky the last round.”

“Too easy if you ask me,” Alex sighed. “I'm sure the next fight will be tough... not I expect to make it past round four or anything.”

Wagner decided to kind of change the subject then. "Pretty neat that all three of us are going to be fighting in the tournament today, and even in the same ring too."

He suddenly heard someone clear their throat then. Wagner turned around and noticed Kenshi just behind him.

"You mean four," Alex said with a small chuckle.

"Damn it,” Wagner began to mention as he turned to the swordsman. “You were so quiet that even if you were standing right in front of me, I wouldn't even have known you were there!"

"That's nothing new to me," Kenshi replied without much expression.

 _Is he always this grumpy?_ thought the Air Force Sergeant.

“The next match shall begin!” the Shadow Priest announced.

The four of them expected one of them to be called upon next, but it turned out to be not the case. The first to be called was the cyborg, Matrik, who they knew was staying with them in the cave. Her opponent was a red-head dressed in red and black clothes is Kira, and she sported a pair of knives placed in the scabbards strapped to her black boots. Neither one of them said a word as they stood in their fighting stance, ready for their match.

From the audience, Sonya was wondering why the red head in the ring seemed familiar to her.

“Begin!” the Shadow Priest called out.

Immediately, the two opponents charged towards each other and quickly exchanged maneuvers at each other while simultaneously blocking.

Then, kick to the face caused Kira to stumble back a few feet. She rubbed at her cheek from her pain before looking up at her opponent. She just had to be a cyborg! the red-haired woman growled in her mind as she stood in her guard.

The red-haired woman took a few steps forward and began performing various punches and kicks at Matrik, who ducked and blocked each move. Kira then managed to find an opened and used both of her fists to push Matrik back. The female cyborg ended up stumbling back a few feet. Before Matrik could recover, however, Kira bent her knees a bit and put both of her hands out. A pink projectile immediately came out of her hands and successfully hit Matrik. The power of the projectile forced Matrik on the ground.

"Gotcha!" Kira called out, then proceeded to run towards her opponent to perform more attacks.

Matrik quickly sat up as Kira approached her. The cyborg put out one hand and a compartment in her hand opened. Kira wasn't sure what to expect until five golden marble-like balls shot out at Kira. Unsure of what the flying marbles would do, Kira began doing multiple back flips in hopes to avoid being hit. She then heard small explosions from the marbles, which went off one by one. However, the fifth and final explosion was close enough and the force of it sent Kira flying back sideways while upside down. She landed on the ground and skidded a few feet before coming to a halt.

Kira ended up scratching up her arm and part of her exposed leg and began to bleed a little. She ignored the stinging pain as she looked up to see Matrik back on her feed. The female Black Dragon clenched her teeth as she struggled to get back on her feet.

 _Come on,_ she thought to herself as she glared at her opponent. After a little struggle, Kira managed to finally get back on her feet and into her fighting stance. Matrik saw that she was ready to fight again and once again attacked her. Kira blocked her incoming moves with all she had, though she was punched a couple of times in the face.

Matrik then lifted up a foot and swung it at Kira. Kira managed to jump back, but then she felt a sharp pain just above her breast. As she pulled back, she saw the bottom of Matrik's foot and noticed the sawing that just rolled in fast speed. Kira looked down and noticed a small amount of blood dripped out of the cut.

"You bitch!" Kira cried out. She then reached to her boots and took out two dragon teeth knives. "Let's see how this feels for you."

Kira began slashing her knives at Matrik, who dodged from them. That was until Kira managed to cut a wire that sat above Matrik's shoulder. Sparks immediately came out of Matrik, who backed up from Kira a bit. She held on to her shoulder and trying to regain her concentration at the same time.

"We're even now, cyborg!" Kira cried out.

Then, to Kira's surprise, Matrik took her free hand and grabbed a hold of Kira's neck. Kira suddenly felt a surge going through her body. After a second, Matrik lifted her up in the air, then threw her across the ring. The shock from the surge weakened Kira and when she attempted to get up, she only fell back and went unconscious.

Once the Shadow Priest was sure, it stood up. "Winner: Matrik!" it announced.

The audience clapped in union for Matrik's victory. However, Matrik didn't acknowledge it because she was beginning to feel weak from the wire that was cut. Immediately, she got out of the ring and pushed through the audience and soon disappeared.

Back in the audience, Alex couldn't help but feel sorry for Matrik. "That poor girl," she said. "I hope that she'll be able to get that fixed."

"It seemed minor," mentioned Sonya. "I'm sure someone back in the cave will be able to help her with that if anything."

"Don't you have that sort of technology?" asked Wagner.

"We do," Sonya replied. "But unfortunately we've only done something like that once and it was about a couple of years ago. We would have to be back at base in order to get back into the groove."

Soon, the Shadow Priest spoke, catching everyone's attention. "The next match shall begin." It then paused before announcing the first of the two. "Sonya Blade!"

"Oh good," Sonya said happily as she stepped over the ropes. "I'll be right back. It shouldn't take me long to take my opponent down."

"Good luck Sonya," Wagner said. Sonya found herself smiling at the young man before making herself to the middle of the ring. However, Wagner suddenly didn't feel so thrilled. "I have this feeling that I'm going to fight her."

"What makes you think that?" Alex wondered.

"Well, after my last match, I think it's going to end up being a never-ending streak until I lose… and I think I could lose this match."

Alex laughed a little. "Don't worry just yet. I'm pretty sure she'll end up beating the bloody pulp out of another poor soul."

Then, the Shadow Priest announced Sonya's opponent. "Ken Masters!"

On the other side of the ring, Ken tightened his fighting gloves before he stepped into the ring. Wagner found himself laughing a little. "Now I've been put in another awkward position."

“How so?” Alex asked with confusion. “I figured you'd be happy that you're not fighting her.”

“Well, on one hand, I'm pretty sure Sonya is expecting me to cheer her on. On the other hand, Ken is practically family. You see, since Guile pretty much adopted me, his wife and Ken's wife are sisters.”

“Oh I see,” Alex said, now understanding.

“I didn't realize the Colonel adopted you,” Kenshi mentioned.

That sort of surprised Wagner as he didn't expect the swordsman to chime in. “Looong story,” Wagner admitted with a small sigh.

Back in the ring, Sonya put out a hand. "May the best win," she said with a smile.

Ken nodded with a smirk and shook the Captain's hand. "Indeed." They then both got into their fighting stances, indicating that they were ready.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

The two fighters immediately circled each other with both of their fists up, waiting for the other to make the first move. Both of them felt confident about the upcoming fight, though they also expected it to be a challenging one.

Sonya decided to make the first move then. She covered the space between them and threw the first punch, which Ken blocked. Ken attempted an uppercut, but Sonya quickly moved her head to the side before the punch connected. Once Sonya recovered from that, she managed to elbow Ken just in the shoulder. This caught the millionaire by surprise and he backed up a bit to give himself a second to recover.

The blonde agent took this opportunity then. She ran a couple of feet, jumped up and attempted a flying kick. Ken saw the kick coming and sidestepped out of the way. Sonya passed him and she managed to land safely back on the ground on both feet. She turned around then just in time to see a roundhouse kick coming from Ken. Sonya pulled herself back, barely escaping from the move.

Once she straightened herself out, Sonya decided to try one of her 'special' moves. She placed her hands out, and four pink ring-like projectiles quickly came out.

"Shit!" Ken called out as he barely ducked under the projectile. Once the projectile passed, he sat up and decided to retaliate.

“ _Hadouken!_ ” he called out as he shot out a blue projectile from his hand. Seeing this, it became Sonya's turn to duck underneath the attack. She barely managed to succeed in avoiding it as it flew above her head before it flew into the audience, all who were forced to avoid the attack as well.

Sonya took a deep breath after that before getting back into her fighting stance, ready for me. “Nice one,” she admitted.

“Thanks,” Ken replied. He then lifted one hand and beckoned her over with his index finger, ready for more.

Sonya ran after Ken then and they continued the fight with the two of the exchange various punches and kicks. Both of them received bumps and bruises from each other. Then, Sonya found a big opening and kicked upwards. Ken didn't see the move in time and Sonya's boot connected just under his chin.

The blonde millionaire flew back bit, then landed on his back. Unfortunately, when he was hit by Sonya's kick, he ended up biting down on his tongue and immediately drew blood.

"Damn…" Ken muttered under his breath as he tasted his own blood. Despite that and the pain, he managed to get herself up slowly. _I really should return the favor…_

He waited for Sonya to come closer as the blonde agent ran back towards him. Once she was close enough, Ken performed another roundhouse and managed to kick Sonya under her chin with his foot. Sonya stumbled back and held on to her chin in pain as Ken got back on both feet again.

"Nice," Sonya admitted.

This time, it was Ken who covered the distance between the two of them. He attempted more punches, but then Sonya grabbed him, turned him around, and managed to get him in a chokehold.

Ken struggled as he tried to find a way to get out of the hold. He then noticed that they were only a few feet from the edge of the ring. He had a chance to win and it was now or never.

Ken elbowed Sonya a few times before the agent finally began loosening her grip on him. Ken then took the opportunity to escape, leaving some space

“ _Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!_ ” he called out. His foot then managed to hit Sonya a couple of times. Then, the last hit had enough force to send Sonya flying back before she hit the floor on her side. Sonya then rolled a couple of times before falling out of the ring.

 _Oh shit..._ Alex thought in the audience once she realized that her superior just lost the tournament. She knew that Sonya was definitely not going to be happy about it.

"Winner: Ken Masters!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Sonya sat herself up then. She was thankful that her blonde hair was covering her face at the moment because she didn't want anyone to see the shame that appeared on her face. She had hopes of making it to the next round, but now those hopes were gone.

The blonde agent's deep thoughts were soon interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Ken bending down to her and he managed to smile. "You did great Sonya," he said. "I'm sorry I had to be the one to eliminate you."

Sonya sighed a little, but she managed to smirk. "It's all right. I'm just wondering what I'm going to do for the rest of our time here." She then noticed Ken's injury and ended up chuckling a bit. "Gee, no wondered you kicked me back. Sorry about that.”

“Nah, it's cool,” Ken assured the agent as he put out a hand to her. “I've had worse.”

Sonya took his hand and pulled herself up. “Good luck with the rest of the tournament,” she said. Ken nodded before he began to head back to the part of the sidelines he came from. Then Sonya returned back to where Alex, Wagner, and Kenshi were standing.

"Sorry you lost, Sonya,” Wagner said. “But even if you did lost, you sure as hell kicked some ass.”

“I guess it could've been worse,” Sonya said as she took out an ice pack from her backpack. She bent the pack around a bit to 'activate' it before placing it on her face. “Except now I'm sure I'm going to develop a nice bruise on my cheek.”

“I bet you'll be feeling that for a couple of days,” Alex mentioned.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Sonya grumbled.

“At least nothing's broken,” Kenshi said.

“... True... except maybe my pride.”

Two more matches soon passed, both of which held everyone's interest. When the second of the two matches was over, the Shadow Priest announced the next fighter for the following match. "Wagner!"

"Woo hoo!" Wagner cried out. "It's about time my turn came."

Sonya patted the young Sergeant's back. "Good luck. It's too bad Guile couldn't make it today to see you fight."

"Yeah," Wagner sighed thinking about his surrogate father. "He wanted to be here, but he wasn't sure when I was going to go up and he had to finish up those paper works…which he should've finished before the tournament even began… well, I'm off." He went over the ropes and headed towards the middle of the ring.

Sonya laughed then. "Let's hope he doesn't have another girl who teases him throughout the match again."

"Tell me about it," Alex replied, having heard what happened previously. "I'm sure that won't be the case though."

Once Wagner reached the middle of the ring, he let himself stretch out his arms and legs, preparing for his upcoming match. When he was done, his opponent was announced;

"Kenshi!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Sonya laughed. "Well, he's doomed either way.”

Alex turned her head to the free agent as he took a step forward. "Good luck," she said.

Kenshi slightly turned his head to her, a a hint of a smirk appearing on his face. "Thanks." With that, he tightened his finger-cut black gloves before stepping into the ring.

Sonya raised an eyebrow then. "You know… I think that was the first time I've ever seen him smirk since he joined Special Forces." She stared at Alex after her statement.

Alex felt Sonya staring at her and shifted her blue eyes to her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," the blonde agent answered innocently before turning her head to the ring. Alex rolled her eyes at that and soon brought her attention to the ring.

Wagner stood in his place as Kenshi approached him. This was the type of match the young Air Force pilot feared. He has seen the swordsman train a few times and he seemed very serious about his training. To Wagner, a serious trainer equaled a good fighter. Wagner was a good fighter too, but he didn't always train. However, he had a feeling that after this fight, he was going to do more of that.

They soon stood a few feet from each other. In respect, Kenshi bowed to Wagner. "I look forward to our match." He then got into his fighting stance.

Wagner was a bit surprised to hear him say that. As a matter of fact, he didn't expect Kenshi to say anything at all. None the less, Wagner bowed to him as well. "May the best win," he said. The young man then straightened himself up and got into his own fighting stance.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Both men slightly shifted their feet sideways in opposite directions before they covered the distance between them. They ended up grabbing on to each other's shoulders and neck. Then they added pressure to try to push down the other similar to two wrestlers in a beginning of a wrestling match.

After a few seconds, Wagner felt himself being pushed back, nearly losing his footing at one point. He was thankful that he wasn't that much shorter than the swordsman at the moment since if he was any shorter, he would've been down on the ground more quickly.

Wagner then attempted to knee Kenshi in the abdomen. He succeeded in connecting the move, forcing Kenshi to loosen his grip and draw a sharp inhale. Now with the opportunity, the younger fighter managed to push his older opponent back a bit.

The Air Force pilot performed a medium height kick, but Kenshi managed to step back from it before pulling back and throwing his own punch, which Wagner blocked. The two continued to exchanged their moves and blocks for a few more seconds before Kenshi finally landed a blow to Wagner's face, forcing his head to swing ninety degrees sideways. The swordsman then opened up his palm and struck Wagner in the stomach. The move caused Wagner to keel over in pain.

 _Damn it,_ the blonde man thought as he looked down at the ground. He then noticed an object just in front of his neck. He looked up and noticed Kenshi holding a katana, the tip of the blade just a few inches.

"Don't worry, I won't use it against you," Kenshi said. "The lesson here is to never take your eyes off your opponent, no matter what." He then placed his sword back in the scabbard behind him.

"Oh, um, great," Wagner muttered as he slowly got himself back on his feet. Once he was up, he stared at the red blindfold that covered Kenshi's eyes. "So I'm curious… if you should never take your eyes off your opponent, how is that advice helpful in your case?"

"You'll know soon enough," was all Kenshi said before performing a high round kick, which Wagner dodged from immediately.

As the fight progressed with Kenshi on offense, Wagner let the anger flow within himself, which activated the yellow sparks around his right arm. Let's try a projectile…

" _Ultra Disc!_ " Wagner called out. He took his right arm and swung it from his right waist, over his chest, and ending just above his left shoulder. In the middle of the swing, a yellow disc-like projectile came out his arm and began speeding towards his opponent.

Kenshi only stood there and it would seem that he wasn't going to make any attempts to get out of the way. Wagner stood there confused, wondering why the swordsman wasn't attempting to move from the projectile's path.

It was then that Kenshi put a hand out and both hands and head glowed in a blue aura. Just as quickly, the projectile stopped just a few inches from him.

Wagner's eyes immediately widened, now noting Kenshi's telekinetic powers. "How the-" he tried to say. Suddenly, Kenshi shot the disc right back at Wagner.

"SHIT!" Wagner cried out as he immediately ducked out of the way of his own projectile, which then went flying out of the ring. As Wagner got himself back up, he noticed that Kenshi was no longer in the spot where he originally was. That was until a blue mist quickly appeared and Kenshi appeared right in front of him.

Because it happened so face, Wagner didn't have time to react and was immediately met with a handful of punches and kicks, none he could block in time. Then, he was elbowed in the head and flew sideways before landing on the ground. The power of the final blow made Wagner dizzy and before he could think, he blacked out.

After a few seconds, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Kenshi!"

Sonya and Alex immediately jumped into the ring to check up on the now-unconscious Wagner. "Great job Kenshi," Sonya said. "Not only did you advance to the next round, but I have the feeling Wagner's going to wake up with a headache now."

"He'll be fine," Kenshi assured her.

"Let's get out of here," Alex suggested. With Sonya's help, Alex got Wagner up on his feet and stood on his left with Sonya on the right. They carried the young Sergeant out of the ring with Kenshi following them.

Once they got out of the arena, Wagner began to wake up. He fluttered his eyes open and felt his feet being dragged. He slightly moved his head a few times and noticed Sonya and Alex carrying him. The Sergeant couldn't help by smirk.

"Hey," he managed to say. "I must admit… this is better than the dream I had with the two of you fighting in lingerie."

Immediately, Sonya and Alex stopped in their tracks and stared at their young ally. Wagner was able to feel what felt like two death glares without even having to look at them. "Eh," he said. "Ignore me, I just woke up… say, did I win the match?"

Sonya patted him on the chest. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm afraid you didn't. The bright side is, you're on the same boat as I am."

Wagner shifted his head again and noticed Kenshi walking besides Alex. His match with him quickly came flooding back to him. It was one of the most challenging fights he had ever been in in quite a while. Not only that, but he was taken down by a blind man. With that alone, Wagner now gained much respect for the swordsman, even if he was a grump.

There was going to be a long way to go before the end of the tournament. Wagner decided to take the time to train himself more seriously, especially if he wanted to save his sister in the future…

~~~

**Outdoor Arena**

"Sindel!" the Shadow Priest called out after the last match ended.

Queen Sindel sighed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the ring. She felt as though she waited forever, having spent most of the morning waiting for her name to be called out. She was a little disappointed that neither her daughter Kitana or their friend Jade were able to watch her fight. Both women had their own fights to attend to (in separate rings). All three would meet back at the palace once all of them were completed with their matches.

Sindel reached the middle of the ring and stretched herself out a little. In the audience, she could hear some whistling from the men, but she chose to ignore them. 'Horn dogs,' she thought.

Soon, the name of her opponent was announced… a name she hadn't heard since the last time she was in Outworld. "Mileena!"

"It can't be…" Sindel muttered under her breath. She looked over and noticed the younger woman approaching her, confirming the Queen's fears. The clone of Kitana was once thought to be dead in the Edenian world, having been supposedly killed by her daughter's hands years ago.

However, Mileena was now standing there, well and alive.

"Surprised to see me?" Mileena sneered, following a low hiss. "I heard the Edenian royal family was going to be here… but I didn't think I'd be facing any of you in this tournament."

Sindel glared at her with her pale eyes. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Mileena sneered once again. "You're a fool! I was merely unconscious when you and your dear daughter left me for dead all those years ago. Too bad I can't return the favor right now since I really want to win this tournament. Perhaps we can arrange a later meeting after our match."

The Queen had enough. Not wanting to wait for the call for the fight to begin, she immediately charged after her. Mileena quickly got in her fighting stance, ready to take her on.

Once she was close enough, Sindel delivered a high kick, which Mileena blocked. The pink-clad woman then attempted to follow with a karate chop to the abdomen, but Sindel managed to grab a hold of her wrist.

Mileena chuckled under her breath. "Oh _mother_ … do you really want to hurt me?"

Sindel narrowed her eyes at her. "Face it, you are not my daughter and you never will be!"

The younger woman managed to get out of Sindel's grip then and pulled back. "At least I didn't betray the Emperor the way you and the bitch Princess did!"

Mileena suddenly sank right through the ground, which confused Sindel at first. When she turned around to look for her however, she was met with a boot to the face, forcing her to fall to the ground as Mileena landed safely on both feet.

Sindel tried to get herself back on her feet, but before she could, Mileena lifted her leg and kicked her back in the abdomen. Sindel let out a sharp exhale as she went back on the ground once again.

"Imagine if you didn't betray him," Mileena mentioned. "If we had succeeded, you and Kitana could've had everything you've ever wanted."

"Can it!" Sindel ordered as she began to slowly get up again. "You and everyone else who serve the Emperor are nothing but greedy scums who only care to ruin the lives of others. Even if it takes years, you _will_ be eliminated, even if Kitana or I don't do the deed."

"Shut your trap, you old wench!" Mileena cried out. "When I'm finished with you, I shall kill both you and that wench you call your daughter. I'll even kill your bodyguard in the meantime. And when I do, I will take over the Edenian thrown. Do you like the sound of that?"

By then, Sindel was back on her feet. "You wish!" She then leaned forward and opened her mouth. A purple projectile came straight out and headed towards Mileena, who quickly rolled out of the way. Once she was, she put both hands out and two pink projectiles in shape of sais shot out towards Sindel. The Queen sidestepped from the move. She then began running towards Mileena and, just a few feet away, dived forward and skidded towards her.

Once she was in reach, Sindel grabbed a hold both of Mileena's ankles. Using her hips, the Queen lifted her lower half up to do a handstand with both feet pointed up and managed to slam her feet into Mileena's face. Mileena tried to stumble back, but because Sindel still held her ankles, she ended up falling backwards.

Sindel pulled her legs back, got her foot back on the ground, and stood herself up. She waited until Mileena was back on her feet again. The younger fighter glared at Sindel and let out an animal-like growl before covering the distance between the two of them.

From there, Mileena played offense with various punches and kicks, which Sindel blocked most of. Soon, the Queen found an opening and managed to punch Mileena in the abdomen, then followed up with and uppercut with her other fist to the jaw. Mileena pulled back slightly to recover from the pain before proceeding her own move sets once again.

However, Sindel had another trick up her sleeve. She quickly pulled back to take a deep breath. The Queen then followed by leaning forward and opening her to let a scream that was as loud as a Banshee.

The scream forced everyone in the crowd to cover their ears in agony. However, because she was closer, Mileena felt the impact of the scream much worse. She covered her ears and fell to her knees. "Make it stop!" she cried out, but her words were drowned by the scream.

After what seemed like a long time, Sindel finally stopped, leaving everyone's ears ringing. Mileena tried to get up then. However, Sindel saw a chance to finish the match for the win.

The Queen of Edenia whipped out her long hair, which immediately extended longer than normal, and wrapped around Mileena. The younger woman began to try to get out of the hold, but soon she found herself flying over Sindel's head. Mileena soon landed on the ground, but rolled just a few more inches until she ended up completely out of the ring, much to her dismay.

The Shadow Priest stood up then. "Winner: Sindel!"

Mileena sat where she was in disbelief. She couldn't believe that she lost to a royal wench, especially considering that this woman happened to betray Shao Kahn and all of Outworld selfishly.

After a little struggle, Mileena managed to get herself up glared at Sindel. "This isn't over! You haven't seen the last of me!" And with that, she disappeared within the crowd.

Sindel had the urge to follow her, but then decided that now wasn't the right time. She had won the match and was glad to beat someone who could've used the medallion for negative reasons. Now all she wanted to do is get out of the arena and head back to the main palace. She wanted to go freshen up while she waited for Kitana and Jade anyway. And so, she stepped out of the ring and made her way out of the area.

A handful of matches continued on afterwards. In the audience, the Lee siblings Yun, Yin, and Yang watched and waited. It was Yun's day to fight in the tournament and they had been at the arena since this morning. Now it was past lunch time and Yun was feeling more anxious to get into the ring.

"It's funny," he said. "I only fought in round one two days ago and now here I am, the first day of round two and I'm going to be in one of today's matches… well, I just hope it comes up soon because I'm getting bored just watching the other matches."

"I feel more bad for those who wait all day, only to fight in the last match of the day," replied Yang. "Now that has to be a bummer."

"Yeah," agreed Yin. "And if that's the case, Yang and I would probably be off to dinner by then." After that statement, she followed with a smirk, indicating that she was only joking.

Yun glared at his sister. "Gee, you two are such a great family," he said sarcastically.

Ten minutes later, a match ended. Once both fighters cleared the ring, the Shadow Priest stood up. "The next match shall begin." He then fell silent for a brief moment before calling out the first fighter of the next match.

"Yun Lee!"

Yun immediately stood up. "Finally!" He adjusted his cap before looking over at his siblings. "It's only round two so I'm sure I'll come out the victor."

"Don't get your hopes up too much," mentioned Yang. "Good luck."

"Same here," said Yin.

Yun nodded, then made his way to the middle of the ring. Once he made it there, his opponent was announced.

"Anna Williams!"

The young man looked around in search of his opponent. _Looks like I'll be fighting a girl this time._

Soon he was able to spot her. The moment he laid eyes on Anna, he could've sworn that he felt his own heart flutter a couple of time at the sight of her beauty. Anna's attire consisted of a black tank top with a matching vest, which was opened, a black and white stripped flannel shorts, and a pair of black two inch high heels.

Anna stopped a few feet from Yun and placed a hand on her hip. "Don't worry… I promise you won't suffer… much."

Yun couldn't help but smirk at the comment. "And you don't have to worry about me ruining your beautiful face." He then got into his fighting stance.

Anna smiled in amusement. "How cute. Now then, shall we get this going?" She stretched a little before getting into her own stance.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Not even a split second after the call was made, Anna quickly began running towards Yun before jumping forward with one foot out towards him. Yun sidestepped out of the way and let Anna pass. She caught herself just in time and landed on both feet.

Anna managed to turn herself around, but was then met with a kick to the abdomen from Yun, causing her to step back a couple of feet. Yun then followed with a spinning kick, which Anna dodged out of the way from. She then saw him throw a punch and managed to grab on to his wrist, then followed with a knee to the stomach. Yun clenched from the pain.

 _I have to admit, she's good,_ Yun thought to himself. He then looked at her in the eyes. "Let me do something special for you."

Anna smirked. "Try me."

Yun performed a karate chop at Anna's arm, forcing her to let go of him. He then pulled back a few feet before running forward, crouched down as he slid, and pushed himself up with his hands. Anna attempted to get out of the way, but the move hit her in the leg and she felt herself falling forward face first. She quickly put both hands out to protect her face from the fall and soon she completely landed on the ground. Yun flew back down from his move, landed safely on his hands before doing half a forward flip to get back on his feet.

"Not bad," Anna said as she began getting herself up. "But just because you pulled off a fancy little move, that doesn't mean that you're going to win."

Yun gave her the chance to get back on her feet. Once she was, he covered the distance between them and began to throw various punches and kicks at her. Anna was prepared and began performing her own while blocking Yun's moves as well.

The fight continued on like this for sometime. Both fighters were exchanging various moves and block one another forcing each other to walk forward and back in order to attempt to dominate the fight between them. Soon, they ended up being close to the edge of the ring and both of them saw their opportunity to win the match.

Both of them grabbed on to each other and began to wrestle one another in an attempt to throw the other out of the ring. After some struggle, Anna, who was now at the bottom, managed to kick her leg on Yun's stomach and push him up diagonally. Yun few up a couple of feet, came back down with a hard land, then, out of his control, rolled out of the ring.

 _There we go,_ Anna thought with a smirk.

The Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Anna Williams!"

Yun sat where he was in disbelief. He didn't expect himself to actually lose the match and he felt completely disappointed in himself. He sighed, wondering what was next for him.

Anna got on her feet and looked at Yun. "Mmm, it was my pleasure… in defeating you." She then gave him a blow kiss and winked at him before making her way out of the ring as victor of the match.

By then, Yang and Yin came to Yun. "You all right there, bro?" Yang asked with concern. "I'm sorry you lost."

Yun wasn't paying attention to his brother as he watched Anna leave. _She's beautiful_ … he thought as his heart fluttered once again. Suddenly, losing the match didn't seem all that bad to him.

"Earth to Yun!" Yin called out, waving her hand over her brother's face.

Yun shook his head upon hearing her voice, then looked up at him. "Um, yeah… I'm all right… let's get back to the cave now."

Yin glared at him oddly. She could've sworn that his eyes had stars in them. Yin then decided to forget about it and she, along with Yang, helped their brother up on his feet.

Once he was, Yun looked over in hopes of getting one more glance at Anna. However, by that time, she long disappeared from sight.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

**The Cave**

Raiden sat on the chair in the lounge area and was feeling a bit frustrated. It was only the second day of round two of the tournament and he had hoped by then that they would find something concerning the exact whereabouts of _Chishio No Me._

He knew that Shao Kahn was in possession of it and was hiding out somewhere in Outworld. A while ago, during one of the days of the tournament, Raiden, traveling alone, exploring Outworld and ended up in an area where Shao Kahn's original palace stood. He found it mostly abandoned.

 _It seems that he has moved to another location,_ the Thunder God thought. _But where exactly?_

Normally, if he was back in the Heavens, he would've been able to quickly find Shao Kahn's new location. However, even as a God, his powers were weaker here than anywhere else, so there was no possible way for him to find the new location.

He had vowed to find the medallion with the help of the mortals staying in this very cave with him. What he couldn't understand was why the Elder Gods felt that they shouldn't interfere when it was obvious that peril was ahead. He even announced that he would relinquish his status just to secure the realms.

The deity wondered how things would be once he returns to the Heavens.

Raiden was at least thankful that one Elder God understood; his friend Fujin. As a matter of fact, it was Fujin who suggested that he allied with Rose in order to have more of a chance to succeed.

 _Now why would he partner me up with a crazy woman like her?_ he thought a bit amused.

"Raiden!" a female voice cried out, sounding a bit angry. Raiden already figured out who it was.

 _Speak of the devil,_ he thought as he turned his head to face Rose. The psychic had her hands on her hips and, by the expression on her face, didn't look quite too happy.

"What are you doing sitting around?" Rose asked. "Shouldn't you be helping the boys out with their fishing trip?"

Raiden stared at Rose. "And shouldn't you be helping the girls out with berry picking?"

Rose ended up growling a little. "I _was_ on my way to do that. However, I was told that a certain leader was sitting around doing nothing."

Normally, Raiden would continue with his smart remarks just to rile the woman up, but this time, he wasn't in the mood, not with everything that was on his mind. "Unfortunately, I have other things to do!" he exclaimed as he got up.

Rose watched as Raiden grabbed a heavy dark cloak. "And where are you going?" she demanded.

"I'm going to do something useful," he replied. "Our mission is going quite slow and I feel that we need more recruits. I'll be back in the evening."

With that, electricity surrounded Raiden and he disappeared before Rose could say another word. Once he was gone, she sighed to herself. For once, she actually felt bad for yelling at the Thunder God.

 _He does care about our real goal,_ she thought. _I just wish that he was more serious about everything else…_

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

A near kick sent Yoshimitsu pulling back, barely missing the attack. Another kick came after him forcing him to do two backwards flips before re-positioning himself in his fighting stance, katana in hand.

 _He's a very good opponent to fight against,_ the katana wielder admitted to himself.

This particular match began only two minutes ago. Yoshimitsu stared at his opponent, the cyborg Smoke, who also got into his own stance, axe in hand. So far, the match had been mainly weapon to weapon with a few kicks coming from each fighter.

After a nearly one-minute stare down, Smoke finally decided to make the next move. He maneuvered himself over towards Yoshimitsu and once again, the two exchanged weapons moves, the sound of two crashing steels reaching the audience's ears. Smoke made a overhead swing, which Yoshimitsu blocked with his sword. They slightly pulled back and the clan leader swung his sword sideways, which Smoke blocked as well.

They continued to swing their weapons and block each other for a little while longer. Soon, Yoshimitsu received the upper hand when he managed to lift his leg, perform a round kick, and smacked Smoke's metal arm, forcing him to lose his grip on his axe. This quickly angered the cyborg. He made one flip forward, then proceeded a handful of swings with his fists at his opponent. Yoshimitsu quickly blocked the moves. He then followed with a left hook, which Smoke blocked.

Smoke then backed away, but not before leaving a cloud of black smoke in mid-air. This was meant to both blind his opponent and force them in an uncontrollable fury of coughs. However, Yoshimitsu saw this just in time and managed to back away a few feet to avoid the element.

As the black cloud evaporated into thin air, Smoke quickly disappeared in another puff of smoke. Yoshimitsu quickly looked around in confusion, but found Smoke too late when the cyborg reappeared behind him and performed an uppercut from the ground up. Yoshimitsu flew up in a diagonal angle, but as he began to fall back to the ground, he managed to catch himself, performing a backward somersault in the air before landing on the ground safely.

Smoke already was on his feet and got himself ready for his next move. However, it was Yoshimitsu's turn to pull off a move. He jumped up in the air, clasps his fists together (with one hand still holding his sword), and came crashing down towards the cyborg. Smoke saw this in time and dodged out of the way.

The cyborg straightened himself after the dodging, but by the time he got himself ready to fight again, he was suddenly met with the butt of Yoshimitsu's sword right to the face. Because of the force of the blow, Smoke was quickly knocked back on to the ground. The blow also damaged an internal mechanism and when Smoke was completely on the ground, he jolted a few times before shutting down.

Yoshimitsu looked down at Smoke as his own name was announced as the winner of the match. He already knew that, with cyborgs or any other type of robots, if they malfunctioned in mid-fight, it didn't count as a death because they were fixable by their rightful superiors. Because Smoke was a cyborg, the katana wielder was able to advance to the next round without worrying about a disqualification.

As Yoshimitsu stared at his opponent, a feeling came over him. Suddenly, he was able to sense something about Smoke. Though he knew nothing about the cyborg, Yoshimitsu felt that something wasn't right with him.

He pondered on this thought for a few more seconds before deciding to forget about it. He would most likely never see Smoke again after today anyway. Placing his katana back in it's scabbard, the clan leader stepped out of the ring and left the building.

~~~

**That Evening In the Cave Area**

After a whole afternoon of picking berries with all the girls in the cave, Yin walked over to the lake alone. When she reached the lake, she dipped her hands in them, whipping away the residue and the stickiness from the berries she picked. She let them stay underwater before rubbing them together.

 _That's better,_ she thought to herself.

Her mind wandered to yesterday at the tournament, when her brother Yun lost his match after being thrown out of the ring. She remembered when she and Yang went over to help him out, Yun seemed as though he was in a daze, as though he was…

 _Nah, couldn't be,_ Yin thought. _Yun has much better taste in girls._

She remembered the time when Yun dated a girl named Hoimei, who once worked at the restaurant the brothers used to work at before Yin came to town. She was a sweet girl, though she could be a bit demanding at times. However, Hoimei and her younger sister Shaomei ended up moving out of the city and Hoimei broke the relationship off, leaving Yun heartbroken for a while.

That was over a year ago and Yun had been over it since. He would normally mention if he spotted a pretty girl, but that was it afterwards. However, yesterday at his match, he gave off a look towards his opponent that would be on anyone's face when they were…

 _No way!_ Yin thought while cringing. _My brother couldn't be, not that fast!_

"Yin!" a voice called out then, interrupting her thoughts. Yin turned around and noticed Maki coming up to her. The blonde woman had a smile on her face as she sat next to her friend.

"Hi Maki," Yin said. "Here to clean your hands too?"

"Yeah," Maki sighed as she dipped her hands into the lake. "As good as those berries taste, they can be really messy to handle."

"Tell me about it," the brunette agreed.

Maki took the time to clean her hands under the water before pulling them out. "I heard Yun didn't win his match. Well, at least I'm not the only loser in the cave."

Yin couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry to hear you didn't make it though. However, Asuka tells me that you fought a really nice woman."

Maki nodded as she remembered her opponent Kitana. "Yeah. I guess you could say that I was honored to lose to a noble fighter. I hope she makes it far in the tournament. How was Yun's opponent?"

"Well… the opponent was female… tall… pretty… weird… she's not THAT special!"

Maki stared at Yin oddly after that comment. Yin noticed the stare then and felt a bead of sweat go down the side of her head. "Eh, sorry, I got carried away. It's a long story, really."

"That's all right," Maki said. She then looked down and noticed her nails. "Darn, my nail polish is peeling off."

Yin looked down and saw the remaining red nail polish on Maki's fingernails. "That shade of red is really pretty. It almost matches your fighting attire."

"Thanks," Maki nodded. She then looked down at Yin's nails, which weren't painted. "Say, I have an idea. Since this evening is going to be quiet, why don't you and I go inside and we can have our own manicure party."

Yin raised an eyebrow. "Gee, eh, I never had a manicure before."

"Don't worry about it," Maki said as she stood up. "Your nails are going to look really nice after and the best part is that it won't affect your cooking at all."

Yin laughed a little as she stood up as well. "I never said it was going to affect my cooking. Which reminds me… now that we have more berries, I can try to make some pies with them tomorrow."

"Great! Let's get started now before everyone gets back from whatever they're doing."

So the two female fighters began heading back to the cave for their own manicure party.

~~~

**Main Palace**

Sitting on a chair in front of a small lit fireplace, Raven stared down at the fire without any emotion on his face. His chin rested under his left hand as the intelligence agent let himself drift into thought.

It has been eleven days since he arrived in Outworld. Normally at this rate, he would find some sort of clue concerning his mission to find out more about the sorcerer and host of the tournament Shang Tsung. He had attempted to ask those who may be of help. But last night proved to be more dangerous than he expected.

One of the people he asked questions to attempted to assassinate him in the middle of the night. However, being a light sleeper, Raven was able to wake up in time in order to defend himself. The two fought for only a minute before Raven got the upper hand and managed to finish off his would-be killer mercilessly.

Although Raven was able to take the assassin down by himself, this only proved to him that he was putting himself in even more danger. Intelligence back at headquarters were not able to communicate with him due to the fact that their technology was never meant for inter-realm travels. He had been on his own ever since he came here.

It took him long to admit it, but Raven realized, for the very first time, that he needed help.

In his right hand, he held a manila envelope addressed to him. Before he arrived in San Francisco, he was in Miami, awaiting his flight there, when he was met with an officer who gave him the envelope. The officer had told him that he was only to open it if he felt that he was truly desperate.

Raven assumed that intelligence was going to have a situation like this. One thing was for sure… they were right.

Slowly, the agent opened the letter. He held white paper with both hands as he read the letter;

_Raven,_

_This is your first time doing a mission in another world, the first for any of our agents. We are aware that you would be alone in this mission and that, due to lack of our own technology, we may not able to keep in contact with you._

_Invitations to the tournament were passed around the world to the best of the best. We were informed that some members of the United States Air Force, the United States Special Forces, Hong Kong Interpol, and MI-6's Delta Red, were given invitations and will be attending the tournament. These members have been assigned to look into small terrorist groups that may hiding within Outworld and to find out any information behind the tournament._

_We recommend that you meet with these members if you are truly desperate for assistance. We are confident that these members will assist you in your mission as you may also assist them in their mission._

_We wish you luck on your assignment. Upon your return to Earth, please report to Headquarters immediately for further orders._

_Sincerely,_

_-HQ._

_P.S. - After reading, we strongly advise that you burn this letter immediately._

Raven looked up from the letter after reading. Throughout his entire career as an agent, he had never allied himself with anyone before, not even anyone in the same unit he was in. He wasn't too sure about it, but if this was what headquarters recommended, he might as well take it.

However, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to seek out the military and police unit just yet. There were countless fighters in the tournament and any one of them could be members of the police unit or military branch. He would have to search for them and try to get any information on his mission. That way, he didn't end up wasting time.

Following the order in the letter, Raven placed the paper back in the envelope, then tossed it in to the fireplace. The letter was quickly engulfed in flames. Soon after, it was nothing but hot, black ashes.

~~~

**Underground Lair**

"Adon!" Shang Tsung called out. A loud 'Yeah!' was heard as the Muay Thai fighter jumped over the ropes, ready for his match. He stepped towards the middle of the ring and punched the air a few times, feeling a bit pumped up. Adon felt quite confident in himself. He felt that no matter what was thrown at him, he would be able to take on his upcoming opponent.

Soon, his opponent's name was announced. "Havik!"

Adon searched for his opponent, ready to fight. Once he spotted the cleric of chaos, a bit of disgust came over the Muay Thai fighter, noting the missing flesh that should've covered the bottom half of his face. Havik walked over to the middle of the ring and stopped just a few feet from Adon. Silently, he got into his fighting stance.

 _Not only is he ugly,_ Adon thought. _But he's practically rotting alive! This match is going to be easier than I thought!_ He then got into his Muay Thai stance, both fists leveled at his face and one leg off the ground.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung announced, interested in how the fight will turn out.

Not wanting to waste any time, Adon jumped forward and attempted quick jabs with his fists before delivering countless kicks to his opponent. Havik, immediately forced on defense, blocked the incoming moves that came. After a little while, Adon began to feel frustrated.

 _Why can't this moron budge?_ he yelled in his mind.

Just as his thought finished, he suddenly felt a kick to the side, forcing him to stumble a few feet to the side. Adon looked over at Havik. Even with no lips, he could've sworn that his opponent was currently grinning at him.

"Chaos lies within you," Havik mentioned as he got back into his fighting stance. "Continue to embrace it, for Chaos is the way."

"You're crazy!" Adon cried out.

"Why thank you," Havik replied, taking the intended insult as a compliment.

The comment angered Adon even more. He quickly lept up in the air, placed one foot out, and in quick speed, darted down diagonally towards Havik.

" _Jaguar kick!_ " he cried out. To his delight, he managed to strike Havik in the face, sending him crashing onto the floor. Adon landed back on his feet, then followed with a single backflip. As he finished the flip, Havik had rolled back and quickly got back on his feet again, ready for more.

Adon went after him again, throwing speedy high kicks at Havik. Havik was once again forced to defend himself, blocking all the moves that were thrown at him. When he finally found an opening, Havik clenched his fists, spread them out, and twists his torso 360 degrees! Adon was hit twice by the move, forcing him to fall back. The Muay Thai fighter looked at him, stunned by what just happened as Havik returned back to normal anatomy.

"What the hell was _that_?" Adon cried out surprised.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Havik said. He then took both of his hands, placed them around his head, and managed to break his neck without much effort. He kept it like for a couple of seconds before fixing his neck to it's normal position.

Adon growled in anger, realizing that Havik was taunting him. "No one mocks me!" He got himself up and ran back towards him. In a furious rage, Adon attacked Havik with punches and kicks and had managed to get a few blows on Havik, though it seemed to have little effect on the Chaosrealm native.

Havik once again saw an opening and used his fist to punch Adon. The punch came to Adon as a surprise and he ended up turning his entire body 180 degrees. As his back was turned to him, Havik took out his morning star… a weapon that had a ball with sharp spikes on them.

The Muay Thai fighter felt his lip bleeding, but ignored that fact as he began to turn around. Before he could completely face his opponent, however, he suddenly felt a couple of spikes impale into the left side of his cheek and jaw, blood immediately oozing out from the wounds.

Feeling the intense pain from the blow, Adon screamed and cursed as he held on to his face, the blood now dripping down his hand. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"he screamed out in rage.

Havik quickly grabbed him then. The cleric of Chaos lifted him up over his head, then threw him, sending Adon right out of the ring, the maneuver automatically declaring him the victor.

"Winner: Havik!" Shang Tsung announced.

When the winner was announced, the pain in Adon's face suddenly seemed to go away as his anger began to blind him. He quickly got up and attempted to go back in the ring to attack Havik, but he was then stopped by the viewers surrounding him.

"Get off me!" Adon cried out as they pushed him back. Havik only watched in amusement as Adon was pushed towards the back of the crowd and left the building by force.

"May Chaos live on forever," Havik whispered before leaving the ring.

~~~

**Outside The Cave**

The sun was halfway from setting behind the mountains in the distance for the night. Though it was mostly beginning to get dark, it was still light enough to see one's way around.

Sitting in front of the open campfire, Alex set up the fire stand over the flames before placing the frying pan on it. "Nothing sounds better than chicken and cheese taquitos right now... even though I'm sure the chicken is going to taste like crap."

A can of chicken and a can opener was handed to her. Alex took the two items as she looked over at Kenshi. When she had invited him to join her at the campfire, she was surprised that he took her up on the offer, but she figured it was most likely because she happened to catch him when he was starving. Despite being colleagues, rarely did he accept invites to 'hang out' with the other soldiers of Special Forces, preferring to spend his free time in quiet solitude.

"So where did you get the can?" he asked curiously.

Alex couldn't help but smirk to herself. "Let's just say that I'm quite sure Sonya can survive without one can of chicken." She then used the can opener to open up the can before using a fork to scoop the chicken out and on to the flat tortillas which were on cooking sheets.

"Something tells me that Sonya will notice anyway," Kenshi mentioned.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Alex then rolled the tortillas before placing them in the frying pan. She then took the spatula in her hand and began to wait. She decided to continue the conversation in the meantime. "Wow, so we both managed to make it to the next round."

Kenshi nodded. "You sound surprised."

"Well… you advancing is not surprising, but I didn't think _I'd_ make it that far. Well, I already know that I'm not going to win this tournament anyway. There are so many good fighters… then again, this is my first time actually attending a tournament and I wasn't even invited."

"What matters is that you've made it as far as you did," Kenshi mentioned. "There are many fighters who came to this tournament in hopes of winning, but never even made it to the second round."

Alex nodded in agreement then as she turned the taquitos over. "I guess I should be grateful after all then."

The two fell silent then, unsure of how to continue the conversation. The smell of chicken consumed their senses and Alex took a moment to enjoy the smell. It was the type of smell that would make anyone more hungry. After a few minutes, she decided to add the cheese on top of the taquitos.

"So," Alex began, trying to begin a new conversation with the free agent. She briefly let herself think before she finally came up with a subject. "Do you have any family back in Japan?"

Kenshi sighed to himself. "I did… a long time ago. My grandfather was also a swordsman and had trained me with both the way of the sword and Tai Chi. I lived with him until I was fifteen when he passed away."

As he continued his story, Alex noticed that the cheese was melted. She removed the pan from the fire stand, then set it down on the cooking sheet so that they would have a few minutes to cool off. “What about your parents?” she asked.

"… My mother died when I was young. My father had disappeared before I was even born, so I never knew him.”

Alex felt saddened up hearing that. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It was a long time ago." The swordsman continued then. "But it was after my grandfather died that I decided to travel and challenge the greatest swordsmen I can find. I've mostly traveled alone since then without anyone else. Sure, I ran into the occasional traveler, but we tend to go our separate ways not long afterward.”

“I assume something compelled you to join us when Sonya and Jax asked you to join Special Forces last year,” Alex inquired.

Kenshi was silent for a moment before he answered her. “In a way...” He then quickly changed the subject. “Is the food ready?”

Quickly getting out of her thoughts, Alex quickly shook her head a little once his last four words sunk in. She grabbed two plates and placed the food on them. "Yeah, they're ready. Sorry to say that I'm not exactly a gourmet chef, but I promise that this beats military rations any day."

“I believe that,” Kenshi said.

They ended up eating silently as Alex was deep in thought. If she remembered correctly, Sonya had nicknamed Kenshi 'The Rogue Swordsman' because he had been a lone traveler for years and from the new information she got, he had been alone ever since his family's death. For some reason, the thought of it made her sad, but she decided not to comment on it... she was sure that he didn't want any pity from her.

~~~

**Underground Lair**

Match after match came and went. The sun was beginning to set for the night outside of the lair, but even with the sun out, the underground lair would've still been as dark as night had it not been for the lit candles displayed all around.

Soon, a match ended and another winner was announced. Shang Tsung looked over at the list to see which two fighters were up next to compete against each other. When he saw one particular name on the list, an amused smirk came upon his face.

It was the fight he was waiting for all day.

He stood up and announced the first of the two combatants. "Quan Chi!" he called out.

Quan Chi stepped into the ring and headed towards the middle of the ring without a second thought. Once he did reach the middle, he stared at Shang Tsung with no emotion. In reply, the sorcerer sitting on the throne returned the gesture. For a moment, it was as though the stare down would never end and some people in the audience thought that the two would end up having their own combat right there. However, it soon ended when Quan Chi slowly turned his back, awaiting his opponent.

Another smirk came on Shang Tsung's face, fully aware of who Quan Chi's opponent was.

"Astaroth!" the shape shifter announced.

Quan Chi raised an eyebrow in a bit of surprise. He had thought that he would be fighting a normal mortal, but it would seem that he got a nice little surprise.

Astaroth stepped in to the ring, having been hiding in the shadows. The audience fell silent just by the sheer size of the golem alone as he held nearly an equally large axe in his hands. He stopped just a few feet from Quan Chi and stared down at him.

Noting the weapon, Quan Chi immediately took out his two broadswords and got in position. It was well known that very large fighters relied on their strength. The pale sorcerer knew that he would have to rely on his speed during the upcoming match.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

Immediately, the two fighters unleashed their fury on one another. Quan Chi would dodge from Astaroth's axe whenever the golem would swing his weapon around in different directions. Quan Chi would them lash his own swords out, but Astaroth would bend himself out of the way. Only once did Quan Chi leave a scratch on the golem's side.

Angered, Astaroth lifted his leg and kicked Quan Chi, sending him flying across the ring. The sorcerer lost his grip on his swords and cursed himself when both weapons slid out of the ring. Astaroth ran over to him and attempted to swing his axe again. Quan Chi quickly put out both of his hands, each one glowing green. Then, a large projectile came out of his hands in the shape of a grinning skull. He had hoped that the projectile would hit Astaroth's beating heart, but the golem ended up slightly stepping aside and the projectile hit his arm. It only stung the golem slightly, but other than that, it had little affect on him.

Once that failed, Quan Chi quickly got himself up and attempted various punches and kicks at the golem. Although he was able to land many of the moves on Astaroth, Quan Chi was beginning to feel frustrated as he felt beads of sweat falling on his face.

What does it take to take this thing down? the sorcerer thought in frustration.

After another minute, Astaroth began to have enough. "Worm!" he called out. He took one of his elbows and jabbed Quan Chi in the face. Stars began to surround the sorcerer then as he was kneed in the abdomen afterwards.

Shang Tsung watched in amusement as the fight continued on. He watched as Quan Chi attempted to get back on offense, but it would to be no use as Astaroth dominated him with his strength.

Finally, a hit from the butt of the axe sent Quan Chi flying across the other side of the ring. The impact when Quan Chi fell to the ground was hard enough to render him unconscious, ending the match.

"Winner: Astaroth!" Shang Tsung announced. The audience clapped in union. Each person's facial expression showed that they weren't surprised by the results of the match.

Shang Tsung smirked in amusement.. _Such a shame,_ he thought. _Had Quan Chi advanced to the next round… I may have requested for him to face a certain spectre…_

~~~

**Unknown Area**

The sun had completely set and the light wind was picking up a bit more. Raiden's navy blue cloak blew forward as he continued to walk around the area in search of fighters with pure hearts and souls. However, no matter who he passed, his small mission had been unsuccessful so far, unable to find the right people.

 _There must be someone who is good enough to be called 'the chosen one,'_ the Thunder God thought.

Another few minutes past as he continued moving forward. Fighters would walk by, but none that caught Raiden's interest. He then began to feel that coming out, for now, was useless.

Before turning around, however, he heard what sounded like someone training. Though not feeling positive, Raiden decided to check one more person before returning to the cave. The walk only took less than a minute as Raiden passed some tall bushes. He then saw a clearing and that's when he was able to spot the person training.

The person, wearing a red karate gi and sported blonde hair that was gelled up, continued his training, using an old, dead tree as a punching bag. He punched and kicked at the tree furiously, not caring about the damage he was inflicting on the tree. As he continued, a name came over Raiden's mind.

 _Paul Phoenix,_ he thought. The God of Thunder then began to sense it… a pure heart and soul. Not the best of them all, but it'll do.

It was then that Paul mumbled aloud to himself, saying each word in between breaths. "I'm… gonna… win… this… match… tomorrow… and… be… the… best… in… the… universe!"

Raiden slowly stepped forward then, but he ended up stepping on a twig, snapping it in two. The sound caught Paul's attention and the red-clad fighter stopped his training and quickly turned around to face Raiden. He showed a bit of a surprise look at first, but then his expression changed to annoyance.

"What do you want, old man?" he demanded.

 _Not the best attitude however,_ Raiden thought, solving why Paul's pure heart and soul 'wasn't the best.' "Please take a moment to listen to me, Paul-"

"Hey!" Paul cried out, interrupting Raiden. "How the hell did you know my name?"

"Never mind that," Raiden continued. "My name is Raiden, God of Thunder, and I'm here to tell you that the world is in danger."

Once again, Paul cut him off. "Don't give me that crap! You're crazy!"

"Listen to me!" Raiden demanded, now feeling a bit frustrated. "There is much more to the Bloody Eye medallion than you think. It is the most powerful artifact in the universe and it's in the hands of evil. You have been chosen to defend our worlds and make sure that the medallion falls into the right hands."

Paul stared at him for a moment before replying. "I'm not sure whether to take you seriously or not, old man. Besides, even if you are telling the truth, I'm here for one reason and one reason only; I'm here to prove to everyone that I AM the best in the universe! I don't need to defend the realms in order to prove that!

Raiden sighed. "Please Paul, do not be so naïve. I am serious about this and I need your help."

Paul smirked a little. "Maybe when I get proof that the worlds really are in danger. Say, I have a match tomorrow! Why don't you come and see my skills in combat? I'll show you that I truly am the best in the universe!"

Sighing once again, Raiden decided to give up with him, at least for right now. The Thunder God began walking away as Paul continued punching and kicking at the tree.

 _He is arrogant,_ Raiden thought. _But deep down, he has much better potential than what he displays…_


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Outdoor Arena**

A match was taken place as Lei Wulong watched. He sighed to himself, wondering when his turn was going to be up.

 _I'm quite surprised that my match ended up being delayed for a day,_ he thought.

Lei was supposed to have his match yesterday in the Indoor Arena, but because of long matches and overbooking (according the note he received this morning), some matches, including his own, had to be cut for the next day. The note given to him this morning apologized and relocated him to the Outdoor Arena instead of the originally-assigned Indoor Arena.

 _At least it's a nice day… I think,_ Lei thought as he looked up at the purple sky, which seemed darker than normal.

Soon, the current match ended as a result of a knock out. The knocked out fighter was dragged out of the ring as the winner raised his arm in victory before returning to the audience. Lei lost sight of the fighter afterward.

The Shadow Priest stood up. "The next match shall begin." It paused before announcing the first of the two fighters. "Lei Wulong!"

Lei sighed of relief as he stepped into the ring. _It's about time!_ he thought. _I just hope I don't fight another guy like my last opponent._ He shuddered a little as he thought about the large, devil-like opponent. _Too bad Chun Li isn't here at the moment._

Chun Li had a match today as well, so she wasn't able to be here to cheer her Interpol partner on and Lei couldn't be at her match, obviously for the same reason, to cheer her on either. They would have to wait until tonight to see how the other did in their match.

The Shadow Priest announced his opponent. "Jade!"

Lei immediately spotted his opponent then, who seemed to walk into the ring with grace, showing confidence in her green eyes. Lei noted the staff and boomerang Jade had strapped behind her back. Jade herself saw that Lei didn't possess a weapon and decided that she didn't have any need for her staff… for now at least.

Once Jade stood a few feet away, Lei placed a fist on the palm of his other hand in front of him. He then followed with bowing his head, showing his sign of respect. Jade acknowledged the gesture by repeating the same. They then looked up at the same time and got into their positions.

"Begin!" The match was now on it's way.

" _Yah!_ " Jade cried out as she jumped forward, a foot aimed at her opponent. Lei saw it coming and stepped aside, letting Jade pass him. He then attempted a punch, but to his surprise, without turning her back, Jade blocked the move. She then turned herself around, still blocking the punch, and attempted to jab Lei with an open palm. Lei barely blocked and smacked Jade's block with his other hand, then attempted to follow with his own elbow with the same arm. However, Jade was able to block once again.

They continued back and forth like this for a bit more. As they did, Lei could already feel a bead of sweat on the side of his head. _She's fast_ , he thought.

Jade felt a bead of sweat on her forehead as well. _He's quite quick,_ she thought as well. _This may turn out to be worth the one-day wait._

After another minute, Lei quickly pulled back, then performed a double round house kick. Jade pulled herself back from the two kicks, but as she attempted to straighten herself again, Lei took the opportunity to land a blow with his fist to her abdomen. The force of the blow pushed Jade back a few feet, skidding on the ground before coming to a halt.

Jade quickly pushed herself back up with her feet as Lei ran towards her. Without thinking, Jade raised her leg up and used her inner chi to push herself forward. Green shadows trailed behind her as a result.

Lei noticed the fast move too late. Before he was able to react, the kick connected at his collarbone. The force also pushed him back, only he ended up rolling before stopping, just a few feet from the edge of the ring.

"Damn," the super cop muttered, quickly shaking his head from being temporary stunned. He slowly got himself up back to his feet.

By then, Jade had her boomerang out. She pulled her arm back before throwing it towards Lei. She had purposely placed the trail slightly off course. It was just a way for her to give him a little scare.

However, Lei wasn't aware of the flying weapon and ended up stepping right into it's path. He had just began to face Jade when the boomerang ended up smacking him in the forehead. Lei flew back a foot, before landing on his back. By then, he was already unconscious.

The boomerang turned itself around and headed back to Jade, who caught it in her hand. "Winner: Jade!" the Shadow Priest called out then.

Jade closed her eyes in disappointment. _Damn,_ she thought. _Sorry Lei… I ended this match sooner than I was hoping._

The green ninja sighed to herself again before leaving the ring and the area.

~~~

**Courtyard**

Cassandra and Li Mei stared at each other while standing in the middle of the ring. The two were surprised when they were called up by Shang Tsung himself to face each other in a match, though they only knew each other just for living in the same cave. Cassandra held her sword and shield in her hands. Noting the weapons, Li Mei had taken out her Kunlun Dao sword in preparation for a weapon-to-weapon combat.

"Good luck," Cassandra said to her opponent as she positioned herself in her stance.

Li Mei positioned herself as well. "Same to you, Cassandra."

Shang Tsung noted that the two females were officially prepared for their match together. "Begin!" he called out.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, the two girls charged towards each other, then swung their swords at the same time, resulting in the two weapons clashing with one another. They then pulled back and Li Mei attempted to jab her sword forward, while Cassandra blocked with her shield. The blonde girl then tried to swing her sword sideways, but Li Mei managed to block.

Cassandra noted the determined look on Li Mei's face, something she was seeing for the first time since they met. _I guess she can be serious when she wants to be,_ she thought. _Besides, she's pretty good at this sword fight._

The two continued their sword fight, their weapons crashing against one another. That was until Li Mei pulled back a couple of feet. Cassandra was a bit confused by this and moved forward… which was what Li Mei wanted.

Li Mei pulled her leg as far back as she could before swinging it forward, doing a backward somersault in the air in the process. Cassandra, though caught by surprise, pulled back and the kick barely missed her. Li Mei landed back on her feet afterwards and ran forward, swinging her sword in the process. Cassandra blocked once again with her shield.

Once again, they proceeded with their sword fight, each one going back and forth with their weapons. At one point, Cassandra attempted a kick, but Li Mei saw the kick coming and dodged out of the way. From there, the sword fight continued once again.

That lasted for another minute. Small beads of sweat began to slide down Cassandra's forehead and she was beginning to feel tired from the sword fight. _As fun as this is,_ she thought. _I think it's time to end it._

However, it seemed that Li Mei had the same idea as she pulled herself back once again. She put a hand out and, immediately, a lavender energy-ball surrounded in sparkles and shot out towards Cassandra.

The Keisei native saw the projectile coming and attempted to block it with her shield. However, the force of the projectile was enough to knock Cassandra back and landed with a _thud!_ on the ground.

"Getting all fancy now, aren't we?" Cassandra muttered as she looked up at Li Mei. The blonde then got on her feet. "I have a nice trick up my sleeve as well."

Cassandra quickly raised her sword in the air and managed to summon a bolt of lightning in the air, which landed on the tip of her sword. Electricity surrounded the sword then an once she was ready, Cassandra lashed her sword forward, the lightning bolt released and zapped towards Li Mei. Because of the speed of the lightning, Li Mei wasn't able to react fast enough before being hit. The force sent her flying back before landing on the ground.

The young brunette felt a bit stunned from the move and once she recovered, she slowly got back on her feet. She noticed the smirk on Cassandra's face and felt angry then.

"Come and get me!" Li Mei called out. "If you think you can-"

"Winner: Cassandra!" Shang Tsung suddenly called out.

Li Mei stared at the sorcerer in confusion. That was until she noticed the small distance between her and the ring. The Outworld native didn't realize that Cassandra had knocked her completely out of the ring until now. Feeling embarrassed, Li Mei ran out of the area.

Feeling satisfied then, Cassandra began to walk out of the way. As she did, a random male in the audience whistled at her, catching her attention. "Hey baby, I _love_ the 'shot' I got when you did that lightning move." The men surrounding him laughed after the statement.

Cassandra had always admitted to herself that she sometimes would forget the fact that the lightning move produced a heavy wind and since she wore a skirt in battle…

Anger came to her quickly. "You pervert!" she yelled out. She then took her shield and bashed the stranger over the head, knocking him out cold. Cassandra then looked over at the other men. "Anyone else want a 'shot?'" The guys stayed silent then. "I thought so." The blonde girl then headed back towards her friends.

"Way to show that jerk!" Asuka said with a smile. "I hate cocky guys like him."

"We all do," replied Mika. "But you sure showed him, Cassandra."

Cassandra couldn't help but smile. "Thanks."

Three more matches passed. Once they did, Shang Tsung stood up to announce the fighter for the next match. "Ibuki!" he called out.

"All right!" cried out an excited Maki. She then looked at her friend. "Good luck."

Ibuki smiled under her cloth mask as she began to step into the ring. "Thanks you guys." She then got into the ring and headed to the middle.

Once Ibuki reached there, Shang Tsung called out the next opponent. "Julia Chang!"

Ibuki was surprised to hear the same of someone who was staying in the cave with her. _Looks like Cassandra and Li Mei won't be the only ones,_ she thought.

Julia stepped into the ring then. The Arizona native wore her hair in two low braids which reached down to her waist. She also wore a green mid-drift tank top under a brown vest of the same length, a jean skirt, white socks, and brown cowboy boots. She also had a purple and blue headband around her head, which consisted of two black and white feathers behind her.

The two girls stared at each other before Julia spoke. "Good luck," she said.

Ibuki nodded. "Same to you." They then got in their fighting stances.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

Neither girl hesitated as they jumped towards each other. Ibuki lifted up her leg for a kick as Julia jabbed her fist forward. The two moves ended up blocking one another. They both pulled back then and Julia attempted a swinging upward kick. Ibuki bent back and let Julia's foot swing pass her before pulling back forward. She then attempted a few punches, which Julia block.

More punches and kicks were exchanged between them for another minute. Finally, Ibuki managed to find a good opening and landed a kick on Julia. Julia stumbled back a bit, but then retaliated by throwing some punches and elbow jabs. A few times they connected, hitting Ibuki's face and upper arms. One shot of pain forced Ibuki to pull back to re-cooperate. As she did, Ibuki reached to one of her pockets and grabbed the hilt of her knife.

As Julia began running towards her, Ibuki quickly threw a knife, making it go off course as a way to distract her. She just hoped that Julia didn't step into it's path.

Luckily, Julia saw it coming and, though it was already off course, she stepped quickly to the side to avoid the knife. The knife flew passed her and stabbed into the ground.

Ibuki took an opportunity then to grab a hold of Julia. The young ninja then jumped in the air, curled herself into the ball, then finally pushed Julia back to the ground with her feet. Julia cried out as she landed hard on the ground. Ibuki herself did a backward somersault before landing on her feet.

As Julia slowly got herself back up to continue the fight, Ibuki stood in her fighting stance, giving her a chance to get herself back up. The female ninja always felt that it was unfair for someone to continue a fight while their opponent was on the ground, never able to have the chance to get up.

Soon, Julia was back on her feet, still in a bit of pain, but still willing to fight. Ibuki decided to make her move then. She ran forward, then pulled a few punches and kicks, some of them connecting.

At one point, one of Ibuki's punches was blocked by Julia's forearm. She then pushed the fist sideways and managed to get herself behind Ibuki. Julia then wrapped both arms around Ibuki's waist, lifted her up, and performed a German Supplex. The blow to the back of Ibuki's head caused her to lose consciousness. Julia let her go as the rest of her body slid to the ground.

"Winner: Julia Chang!" Shang Tsung announced.

The audience clapped as Julia managed to get on one knee. She felt bad for knocking Ibuki out, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel happy. She clasped her hands together then and bowed her head.

"Thank you, spirits," she muttered under her breath.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

Chun Li quickly sidestepped as Seong Mi-na delivered a high kick, which was aimmed at her face. The Interpol detective felt a light wind hit her face as Mi-na's foot passed her. As she pulled herself back, Mi-na attempted to deliver another kick, but Chun Li quickly-but-barely blocked it.

 _That was too close for comfort,_ Chun Li thought.

The two of them only had their match for less than two minutes amongst the onlookers around the ring, including Chun Li's ally Guile, who also had a match today. So far, it had been an intense match between the two women, so no one could make a guess of who was going to win.

When the match was announced, Mi-na, knowing that Chun Li didn't have a weapon on her (aside from a handgun as Chun Li mentioned, but it obviously wasn't allowed in the tournament), decided not to use her own weapon. Hwang, who was watching, suggested that it was more fair against someone who didn't have her own weapon. Although she resented it, it was the right idea after all.

However, Mi-na would get Hwang for this if she lost the match.

Mi-na, only able to rely on her limited hand-to-hand combat training, continued delivering various punches and kicks, taking the chance of being on offense. Chun Li, who was forced on defense and was looking for an opening, was able to block most of the moves. Though she was hit a couple of times, the Interpol detective still managed to keep her composure.

After some time, Chun Li was finally able to find an opening after dodging from another one of Mi-na's kicks. She bent herself down a bit and then performed an uppercut. Mi-na didn't see the uppercut in time and was knocked back a couple of feet, though she remained her footing.

As Chun Li straightened herself up again, Mi-na ran forward towards her. When she was close enough, she jumped up a couple of feet and quickly kicked up with one leg and repeated with the other a second later before landing back on the ground. The first kick had missed. However, the second one managed to connect, hitting Chun Li's cheek. Chun Li was forced to pull back as pain hit her.

Unfortunately, Chun Li didn't have time to recover though. When she looked up, Mi-na was already in her face, ready to deliver more combat moves. Chun Li quickly got on her guard and defended herself once again as Mi-na performed more punches and kicks.

"Got you now!" Mi-na told her.

Chun Li managed to pull herself back. "Don't jump to conclusions just yet."

As Mi-na stepped towards her again, Chun Li lifted up one leg. She managed to connect a few kicks in a row at Mi-na. Then, she sped things up. The speed of her kicks were so fast that it was hard to follow. Mi-na was able to follow the kicks and was hit about what felt like a thousand times. The final kick, however, pushed her back a few feet and forced her on the ground.

"Damn it!" Mi-na cried out as she clenched her teeth in pain. Despite the pain, she attempted to get up.

As she did, a blue aura surrounded Chun Li's hands. With every second that passed, the aura seemed to get bigger and bigger. Once she felt ready, Chun Li pushed both hands forward.

" _Yah!_ " she cried out as a large blue of energy surrounded her and Mi-na. The force of the energy pushed Mi-na back and, between that and the pain from the previous move, it rendered her unconscious. Chun Li wasn't aware of that until the energy shrunk and the Shadow Priest hosting the Indoor Arena tournament stood up.

"Winner: Chun Li!" it announced.

Chun Li could've sworn she felt a small sweat drop on the side of her head then and she bit her lower lip. She noticed Hwang getting into the ring to help Mi-na out. Once he got her in his arms, he looked up at her.

"Eh," Chun Li managed to mutter. She placed one hand behind her back and waved a little. "Um… _Duey bu chyi! Duey bu chyi!_ " She then got herself out of the ring and back towards Guile.

Guile couldn't help but smirk in amusement. "Why are you nervous suddenly? You did win the match."

Chun Li sighed. "I know… it's just that, well, I think I went overboard with the last move-"

"Don't worry about it," Guile cut in. "Mi-na will be fine."

Chun Li nodded then, unsure of how to reply to the comment.

A few more matches passed afterward. Once they passed, the Shadow Priest stood up and announced a name for the next match;

"Jin Kazama!" it announced.

Guile and Chun Li immediately recognized the name as one of the individuals staying with them in the cave. At that moment, Jin stepped into the ring, wearing only a pair of black pants with white flames and gold lining on the right pant and a pair of black geta shoes. He tightened the black finger-cut gloves as he headed to the middle of the ring.

"He's one of the quiet ones in the cave," mentioned Chun Li. "I believe that's why we don't see him very often."

It was then that Jin's opponent's name was announced.

"William Guile!"

Guile nodded a little. "Maybe I'll get a chance to know him a little more."

Chun Li chuckled a little as her ally stepped over the ropes. "Good luck," she said.

"Thanks," Guile replied as he began heading over to the middle of the ring.

The Air Force Colonel soon was face to face with Jin, the two just standing a few feet from each other. In respect, Jin placed his left fist on his right palm in front of him and bowed his head a little. Guile decided to follow and did the same. Afterward, Guile got into his fighting stance.

" _Koi,_ " Jin muttered under his breath before getting into his fighting stance.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Neither one of them waited another second and both ran after each other at the same time. They then delivered punches and kicks following with one blocking the other. It would seem that they both shared the same strength and were quite even with the normal hand-to-hand combat.

That was until Jin found an opening and delivered a punch to Guile's stomach. As Guile flew back from the powerful punch, Jin suddenly saw the small amount of red electricity that surrounded his hand. His eyes widened at the sight.

 _No, not now!_ he exclaimed in his mind.

Guile, who only noticed the distracted look on Jin's face, quickly recovered from the punch and was running towards him. When the Air Force Colonel was close enough, he jumped up high in the air and performed a backward somersault with one leg out, taking Jin with him.

" _Somersault Shell!_ " Guile called out. Jin flew in the air with Guile before falling back and landing on his side. Guile himself landed safely on both feet.

Jin slowly got himself back up on his own feet. Guile gave him the chance to do so before running towards him. Jin was prepared and once again, the two exchanged more punches and kicks at each other, along with blocking one another.

This last for a brief moment until Guile jumped back a few feet. He then quickly pulled his arms back, with both of his hands glowing in a yellow aura.

" _Sonic Boom!_ " he yelled out. He then swung his arms forward and a boomerang-shaped projectile shot out towards Jin. However, the younger man saw the energy coming and he immediately jumped up. As the projectile passed him, he did a forward somersault and once it completely passed him, he landed back on the ground.

Once he did, Jin ran towards Guile and quickly delivered a punch. The red electricity surrounded his hand once more. When the punch connected, Guile was pushed so far back that he ended up right out of the ring, knocking down a few onlookers in the process.

Once Guile stopped in his tracks, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Jin Kazama!"

Chun Li immediately ran over to her ally to see if he was all right. By the time she got there, Guile had just got on his feet and was brushing himself off. The female agent placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Guile nodded. "I'm fine." He looked up then, looking over towards the ring. Chun Li noticed the grim look on his face and she knew that he was disappointed by his loss.

However, there seemed to be a bit of pride in the Colonel's eyes. "You know," Guile said. "I never really admit something like this, but… that kid has guts. I can see him going very far in the tournament."

Chun Li knew that he was talking about Jin. She looked over to the ring to see if she could get another look at the younger man. However, by the time she did, Jin was long gone…

~~~

**Later That Night, Underground Lair**

"Paul Phoenix!" Shang Tsung cried out, announcing the first match of the night.

"Yeah baby!" Paul cried out to no one in particular. He jumped over the ropes that separated the onlookers from the ring. He felt extremely pumped up as he approached the middle of the ring. "I'm number one! And I'm the best in the universe!" he exclaimed.

Shang Tsung smirked lightly. _Let's see how confident you will be once you fight your opponent._

The sorcerer then announced the name of Paul's opponent. "Scorpion!"

Long story short; Scorpion became one of the two late entries to the Blood Tournament, mainly to seek revenge against the sorcerer Quan Chi. Shang Tsung let the spectre in the tournament… however, he didn't exactly tell him that Quan Chi had lost the tournament a couple of nights ago. Whatever was to happen, Shang Tsung would find a way to deal with him later…

Scorpion stepped into the ring and walked himself to the middle before stopping just a few feet from Paul. The Judo fighter looked at the spectre, unimpressed.

"Typical ninja… this will be easier than I thought," Paul mutter. He then lightly punched his fist into the palm of his hand just below his chin before cranking his neck twice from side to side. He then called out an " _Osu!_ " before getting into his fighting stance. Once he did, Scorpion quietly got into his own stance.

Shang Tsung saw that they were ready. "Begin!" he called out.

The two fighters wasted no time as they quickly approached each other. Scorpion was quick to get on offense, forcing Paul to get himself on defense, much to his dismay. This continued for about a minute. During that time, Paul became frustrated as he tried to find a way to break away from his defensive position and get himself on the offense.

Now angered, a yellow aura surrounded Paul's right hand. He then took advantage of an opening and managed to punch Scorpion in the face. The ninja spectre stumbled a few feet back before glaring at Paul with his transparent eyes.

Suddenly, a small ball of fire appeared in front of Scorpion and, from what it seemed, he shrunk right to it's size before disappearing. Paul stared at the spot in confusion… until he felt a punch to the back of his head and fell forward. Paul quickly turned around and saw Scorpion just landing on his feet.

"Damn ninja tricks," Paul muttered. Ignoring the pain, he managed to get himself back on his feet, then began running back towards Scorpion.

When Paul was close enough, Scorpion quickly performed a back flip. Paul, however, saw it coming and immediately stepped back a couple of feet. He felt Scorpion's feet slightly brush against the top part of his red gi, but that was all.

As Paul recovered from the move, he suddenly saw a spear on a rope shooting towards him. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to get out of the way and was impaled just below the right collar bone. Drops of blood immediately came out from the new wound. Paul clenched his teeth in order to stop himself from screaming because of the sheering pain that suddenly hit him.

"GET OVER HERE!" Scorpion exclaimed as he pulled Paul towards him. Paul felt slightly dizzy then and wasn't able to defend himself from Scorpion's second attempt at his back flip. Paul fell backwards to the ground then.

As he tried to recover, Paul noticed that he was able to breathe fine, meaning that the spear didn't puncture his lung. However, he was still bleeding and he was starting to feel the coppery taste of his own blood in his mouth. That was definitely not a good sign.

"Never," Paul said as he attempted to get up. "I… won't be taken down… that easily. I'm number… one… always will…be."

However, it was a quick swift of a kick to the side of his head that finally knocked Paul out cold. He landed face down to the ground, ending the match between the two.

Shang Tsung stood up. He knew that Paul was wounded during the match. One of the rules of the tournament was that if a fighter died during the match, his or her opponent would automatically be disqualified. However, if the person was pulled out of the ring before his or her death, their opponent still wins the tournament.

The sorcerer was still able to sense Paul's vital signs. He turned to one of the guards. "Get him medical help immediately," he ordered.

Quickly, the guard, followed by a few others, picked the unconscious Paul up, and immediately got him out of the ring. He was then placed on a long wooden cart before being taken out of the lair.

Shang Tsung looked over at the viewers. "Since his opponent was still alive upon departure," he announced. "Scorpion still has the rights to move on to the next round!"

Everyone clapped unsurely at the announcement. As they did, a smirk came on the sorcerer's face once again as a thought came to him;

_Paul Phoenix will be taken good care of…_


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Outdoor Arena**

Rainbow Mika and Sakura Kasugano stood in the middle of the ring, looking at each other with a bit of surprise. After waiting all morning to fight, it turned out that the two friends would face each other in the same match.

Sakura smirked at her friend. "You think out of hundreds of people, you and I would end up being paired for a match."

"Tell me about it," Mika replied. "Well, all I have to say is… may the best girl win."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Yes. Because I have a few new moves up my sleeve." She then got into a fighting stance.

Mika got into her fighting stance as well. "Don't think I don't have some tricks on me either."

Soon, the match was called to begin. Both girls circled around the ring, keeping their eyes on one another. After a while of this, Sakura decided to make the first move. She ran over to Mika and attempted an uppercut, which Mika blocked. Mika then attempted to grapple Sakura, but the younger girl saw it coming and had no choice but to step out of the way.

Sakura then attempted various punches and high kicks at Mika, who blocked and dodged from them. Mika then found an opening and jumped up, swinging her leg sideways. Sakura saw it coming again and barely ducked from Mika's foot.

"Now I'm definitely ready!" Sakura called out. She bent her knees a little, then pushed herself upward. As she did, she placed one leg out and began spinning herself around.

" _Shunpuukyaku!_ " Sakura called out. Mika ducked underneath the move and pulled back a bit. She watched as Sakura began to land on her feet. There, she saw an opportunity.

" _Flying Peach!_ " Mika cried out as she launched herself forward, rear-end first. Sakura had just turned herself around when she was suddenly smacked in the face. The younger fighter immediately fell back, a bit dizzy from the impact.

Sakura looked up after a brief recovery and saw Mika slightly rubbing her rear a little before she turned her head with a grin. Sakura realized what part of Mika's body she was hit by.

"Now you're gonna get it!" the younger fighter called out as she stood up on her feet. The two fighters launched themselves towards the other again and from there, they exchanged various punches and kicks. The two girls watched the other in order to avoid getting hit by one of the moves.

This lasted for a bit before the both of them pulled back, feeling a bit exhausted. They both took a moment to catch they breath before Mika launched herself forward to perform another _Flying Peach._ However, this time, Sakura was prepared.

" _Hadouken!_ " Sakura called out. She pushed both of her hands forward and ejected a ball of blue energy and it shot out right towards Mika. Unfortunately for the young wrestler, she didn't see the projectile coming and was hit… right in the rear. She let out a small yelp as she suddenly found herself flying in the opposite direction and landed on her side.

After the landing, Mika felt a burning sensation behind her. "Owe! _Owe!_ OWE! Hot! _Hot!_ HOT!" she cried out as she attempted to stand up.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh as she watched. "Now this fight is really mine!" She began running towards Mika, ready to launch one of her biggest attacks. Mika managed to look up and saw Sakura coming.

" _Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!_ " Sakura called out. She slightly jumped, placed one leg out, and spun herself around multiple times in hopes of hitting Mika. However, Mika had just enough time to barely get out of the way.

Soon, Sakura stopped spinning. She was about to deliver a kick to the stomach at Mika… but realized that she wasn't there.

"What the-" Sakura began to say.

Suddenly, Sakura felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Mika managed to lift the younger girl up in the air and performed a solid German Supplex.

" _Hora!_ " Mika cried out as she made the impact. Before Sakura landed head first and a bit hard, Mika managed to render her unconscious. Mika let her drop to the floor, then stood herself up before she realized what she did to her friend.

"Winner: Rainbow Mika!" the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament called out.

"Oh no!" Mika cried out as she bent down to her friend. "Sakura, I'm so sorry!"

Asuka and Ibuki, who were both watching the tournament, came into the ring. "She's all right, isn't she?" asked Ibuki.

"She looks fine, just knocked out," Asuka replied as she lifted Sakura up with Ibuki's help. Then she looked over a Mika. "Congratulation Mika!" she said excitedly.

"Um, thanks," Mika answered unsurely. It did feel good to win, but a part of her wished that it didn't have to be at the cost of another friend's victory.

~~~

**In the Cave**

"Wagner?" Sonya Blade said aloud beside a curtain. "Are you in there? I need to talk to you."

The curtain was then pulled slightly aside and Wagner poked his head around it. Sonya noticed that his blonde hair was a bit messy. "I'm not in trouble, am I?" the younger man asked as he stared at her with his midnight blue eyes.

Sonya laughed a little. "Unless you're hiding something, no. Can I come in?"

Wagner looked in his room, then back at the blonde agent. "Um, sure." He then pulled the curtain back to let Sonya in. Sonya stepped in and felt her nose twitch at the sight of his room. Even in the caves of Outworld, Wagner's dirty clothes laid everywhere. She noted a pair of jeans hanging off one of the rocks on the wall and she couldn't help but sigh by the sight.

The Air Force Sergeant noticed Sonya looking around the room. "Yeah, I didn't get a chance to do my laundry. As a matter of fact, I don't know where to do the laundry."

"Oh, there's a clean river near the springs," Sonya mentioned. "I have to do my own laundry tomorrow so I'll show you where it is."

"Thanks." Wagner then stared at her. "So… I'm pretty sure that you're not here to talk about laundry."

Sonya briefly thought about what she was about to explain to Wagner and couldn't help but chuckle. "Well… it's kind of out of character for me now a days, but considering how Alex got to advance to the next round and I didn't, I can't help but feel that I should pull a prank on her. I haven't done something like that since high school."

Wagner snorted in amusement. "You? Pull a prank? This I have to see!"

"Well," Sonya continued. "I came to you for advice… because Guile told me some stories of the pranks you pulled when you were a teenager."

Wagner smirked proudly. "Those were the days. Well, come to think of it actually, did Guile tell you about the small party he plans to throw for Alex and Kenshi for their victory in round two?"

"Hmm, I almost forgot about that," Sonya answered.

"Do you think we should pull a prank on Kenshi too?" Wagner suggested.

"Bad idea," Sonya mentioned. "My colleagues Jax and Cyrax back in Special Forces tried pulling a prank on him once… and it backfired miserably because of Kenshi's keen sense."

"Damn," Wagner muttered in disappointment. "So much for _my_ little revenge after losing to him in the tournament."

"If you think about it, helping me pull a prank on Alex is almost like pulling a prank on Kenshi since they're good friends. It's probably the closest you'll get."

Wagner raised an eyebrow and smirked even more. "Good friends, eh?"

Sonya got the idea of what he was thinking. "No no, it's nothing like that."

"Well I can't imagine him in a relationship anyway," Wagner replied. "He seems too grumpy to be in one."

Sonya chose to ignore that last statement. "Anyway, back to the prank… say, do you know what they'll be serving at the party?"

"Let's see… the usual chips and dip, Outworld berries, Outworld fish…" Then a smirk came on Wagner's face then. "And Outworld liquor."

A devilish grin came on Sonya's face. "Outworld liquor… that gives me an idea for a prank." She looked at Wagner then. "One question before I devise my plan. Do you sleep in boxers or briefs?"

"Huh?" Wagner asked in confusion.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

A match between the ice ninja Sub-Zero and the saurian Reptile was taking place. It seemed like an ordinary battle between the two. However, they had done nothing but impressed those watching their match.

A shadow in a black hooded cloak watched the match as the two continued with their various move sets. Soon, the two fighters brought out their potential;

Reptile removed the mask covering his mouth, reveal a chameleon-like mouth. He quickly opened his jaws and a glob of green acid spewed out of his mouth. Seeing the acid coming towards him, Sub-Zero quickly shot out a freezing cold projectile. The two projectiles crashed into one another, and disintegrated just before hitting the ground.

From there, they continued with the match for a few more minutes. Finally, Sub-Zero slid towards Reptile, leaving a trailed sheet of ice behind him, leaned forward with his shoulder in front, and slammed into the raptor. Reptile went flying backwards in fast speed before and flew right out of the ring, crashing into unexpected viewers in the process. Once things settled, Sub-Zero was then declared the winner of the match and will be moving on to round three.

The cloaked shadow stared at Sub-Zero as he left the ring. _I had hoped he would win,_ it thought. _Now I can set him up for the perfect match._

~~~

**Palace Hot Springs**

"I can't believe you didn't want to trek back to the outdoor hot springs," said Yang as he stared at his brother Yun.

"Well why not?" Yun replied. "We just had dinner and this hot springs was just two levels down. Why should we go to the hot springs outside when this one was right here?"

"Whatever you say," Yang said as he decided to give up with arguing with his brother. He leaned his bare back into the edge of the bath and let himself relax. At least there weren't that many people in the springs right at the moment. All of them kept to themselves, which was what Yang liked whenever he was in the springs.

It was then that the brothers heard footsteps heading their way. Sounds like one more person is coming in, thought Yun sighing.

Then, an older man with crazy grayish-white hair stepped into the area. He held a white towel in his right hand and the only thing he was wearing was a black speedo.

All the guys except for the Lee brothers began to snicker.

"Look, it's Heihachi Mishima, and he's wearing a speedo. How pathetic!"

"Old timers shouldn't be wearing things like that anymore."

"Ewww, I can almost see his-"

"Don't even say it! I already want to gorge my eyes out so don't make me want to gorge my ears out!"

Yun then couldn't help but snicker as well. However, he ended up stopping upon feeling Yang nudging hard on his arm. "Eh, sorry," Yun muttered to his brother.

Heihachi calmly placed his towel on the bench as the snickering continued. He then turned towards them and glared, enough that he managed to render the snickering bathers scared.

However, that wasn't enough for the Zaibatsu leader. Yun and Yang then ended up watching as, what seemed like within a millisecond, take out all the bathers and threw them out of the bathhouse. They screamed in terror and ran out of the springs in seconds.

Yun and Yang were the only ones left alone with Heihachi afterwards. They both sat there frozen in their place, unsure of what was going to happen next. Then, to their surprise, Heihachi let out a laugh as he stepped into the bath, just across from the brothers.

 _I'm not sure whether to stay or leave…_ thought a nervous Yang.

Heihachi looked over at the brothers then. "Hmm, water is quite nice today, huh boys?" he said in a cheerful tone (which almost seemed sadistic in a way as well).

Yun was the first to speak. "Um, yeah… it does seem nice today."

"Eh, yeah, same here," Yang managed to say.

Heihachi smirked then, which also seemed both cheerful and sadistic. "Say, why don't one of you get me a drink."

"That's your job," said Yun suddenly to his brother.

"Me?" Yang asked surprised. "He was looking at you when he asked!"

"Well I'm not doing it!"

"Me either!"

"Ahem!" they suddenly heard. Yun and Yang turned their heads and noticed Heihachi glaring at them with his arms folded. The look alone was enough for the both of them to jump out of the bath, grab their towels, and make a run for it.

Heihachi laughed to himself while they were gone. "Finally. I thought I'd never get the hot springs to myself. Now to finally relax." He leaned back a bit and proceeded to enjoy the peace and quiet.

~~~

**Cave Area Later That Evening**

The members of Special Forces, US Air Force, and Delta Red gathered around the campfire that evening. Near the fire, various food and drinks were being served, including the infamous Outworld Liquor, which was barely touched at the moment.

McCoy looked over at the liquor bottle. "I ain't chugging on that bloody bottle again for as long as I'm here," he said.

Lita grinned sadistically. "So… that means you'll still have some when you return to Earth?"

McCoy glared at her. "You know what I mean." After the statement, he took out his guitar from it's case. "Right now, let me play some music to lighten things up." With that, he began playing various tunes on the instrument as everyone sat around and enjoyed the environment.

"Hey, where's Kenshi?" asked a curious Guile.

"He'll be here," Alex replied. "He wanted to do some training before he came to the gathering."

"Must be dedicated to the fight," Wagner said. He then handed a filled cup to Alex. "Here, have some liquor. It's reaaaallllly good!"

Alex looked down at the cup before taking it. "Thanks." She then began drinking the liquor.

McCoy continued strumming his guitar, the various notes pleasantly reaching everyone's ears. Everyone continued eating and enjoying their time together. During that, however, Guile couldn't help but notice both Wagner and Sonya continuing to offer Alex more and more liquor. A few times she denied their offers, but they begged her to take it. Eventually, she would and continue to drink. This went on for about twenty minutes.

"Wagner, don't give her too much," the Air Force Colonel mentioned to his trainee.

Wagner stared at his surrogate father. "It'll be fine, Guile."

"But don't you remember when-"

Suddenly, Alex stood up. "WOO HOO!" she cried out catching everyone's attention. She stumbled a bit, indicating that she was definitely drunk. "Is it me or is it _HOT_ out here?!"

Alex began taking her shirt off, but Lita immediately stood up and stopped her from doing that. "Now now mate, you don't want to be doing that!" She then looked over at Ginzu, who was playing around with his computer. "And that's why, Ginzu, you should never be drinking."

"Uh huh," Ginzu replied, not even paying attention as he tapped on the keyboards with his fingers.

The young brunette looked upward in a daze, "Pretty colors…" she muttered before passing out. Lita caught her in her arms before she was able to land on the ground.

 _About time!_ Sonya thought mischievously.

"Looks like she had a bit too much to drink," Cammy mentioned.

Wagner turned his head and noticed Guile giving him dagger eyes. The younger man sighed a bit, realizing that Guile was right all along.

Wolfman stood up. "I'll bring her to her room."

"Actually," Sonya called out. "Wagner and I will do that, if you don't mind."

"Be my guest."

Wagner stood up as well. Taking the now passed-out Alex in their arms, Sonya and Wagner carried her back in to the cave. As they disappeared behind the trees, Guile rubbed his chin a little.

 _Something fishy is going on with those two,_ he thought.

~~~

**Courtyard**

Mi-na stood in her spot as her friend Hwang got himself ready in the ring. They practically spent the whole afternoon in the courtyard area, waiting for Hwang's name to be called up for his match. She sighed of relief as his name was finally called out.

"You better win this," she had said to him as he stepped over the ropes. "Or else what kind of role model would you be to me?"

Hwang stared at the younger girl, noting her slight sarcasm. "Don't worry, I'm not going to lose." With that, he stepped into the ring.

Hwang's opponent was called out then. Mi-na recognized the second fighter as one of the people staying in the caves. If she remembered correctly, his name was Cody. With his scruffy blond hair and a hint of in-grown beard, and his name, he reminded her of a country bumpkins.

 _I'm surprised he doesn't have one of those accents,_ she thought. _If I'm correct, I think they're called 'hillbillies.'_

The two men stared at each other for a moment. She saw Hwang's mouth move, possibly saying good luck. She quickly looked over at Cody, who nodded to Hwang before getting into his stance. Without a weapon on Cody, it would like Hwang was going to have to fight hand to hand. Leaving his sword in it's scabbard, he got into his stance.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out as he looked at the two fighters in the ring.

Neither one of them waited another moment after the call. Mi-na watched as Hwang and Cody ran towards each other and go at it, starting with various punches and kicks. Mina became a bit frustrated because she couldn't tell who really had the upper hand at the moment.

 _I seriously hope you win this,_ Hwang, she thought.

The match proceeded on for a while as Mi-na continued to watch. At one point, Hwang would have the upper hand, then at other times, it would be Cody getting the offense. The two would manage to land different punches and kicks on their opponent, but the opponent would quickly recover and continue fighting.

Then, to Mi-na's surprise, Cody quickly pulled out a slim butcher knife from his pocket. A sadistic smirk came over his face as he quickly threw the knife at Hwang.

"Look out!" Mi-na cried out.

Luckily, Hwang saw the knife coming in time. Quickly, he pulled out his sword from it's scabbard and place it over his face. He had managed to block the knife as it hit the sword and fell down the ground.

"You tried to kill me!" Hwang called out.

Cody couldn't help but smirk even more. "No, I was only trying to distract you."

Hwang narrowed his eyes as he placed his sword back in it's scabbard. Once he did that, he immediately began running towards Cody, who was long prepared for Hwang's next move.

" _Criminal Uppercut!_ ' Cody called out. Hwang stepped right into his trap as he threw an uppercut and managed to develop a small tornado. Hwang stepped into the hurricane and went flying sideways, just a foot away from the edge of the ring.

Cody cracked his knuckles a couple of times. "Now things are heating up!"

Hwang stood up as Cody began running towards him. Hwang clenched his fists and concentrated on collecting energy around him. This produced some green mist around him and the area seemed to darken a bit, making the audience wonder what was about to happen next.

Once Cody was close enough, Hwang hit Cody with a punch and the green mist seemed to come flying out. Cody was punched so hard that he flew right across the ring and landed hard. The force of the landing rendered him unconscious.

Shang Tsung stood up after a few moments. "Winner: Hwang Seong-gyeong!"

"Yeah!" Mi-na cried out as she jumped into the ring and joined with Hwang. When she approached him, she saw that he had a blank expression on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Hwang heard Mi-na's voice and looked over at her. "Nothing, I'm fine. Let's get out of here. Something tells me that Cody is going to wake up soon and cause a bit of havoc."

Mi-na couldn't help but laugh a little. "All right, let's go. I'm tired of being here anyway."

With that, the two of them left as Cody's allies came to his aid.

~~~

**Back In the Cave Area**

"I can't believe I lost," Sakura sighed as she placed a hand on the side of her face. She then let out a huff that went up, forcing some locks of her short brown hair to stand up quickly before falling back down in place.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Mika replied. "I think that's what really matters."

The two of them were sitting on rocks just by the beach area not far from the cave. Along with them were Maki, Cassandra, Asuka, and Ibuki. The six of them had just finished eating some fish and had set their dishes to the side.

"You did great Sakura," said Ibuki.

"Yeah," Sakura said with another small sigh. "Besides training, what else am I going to do with my time?"

"I'm sure you'll find something," said Cassandra. "But I have a similar question… what should we do now?"

All of the girls fell silent then, pondering over what to do next. The sun had already set for the night and some of the people in the cave had already gone to bed. There was no use doing anything in the cave. Every time they were together in one of the rooms, someone who was trying to sleep would always yell at them to be quiet.

After a while, Asuka's eyes lit up. "I have a game we can play."

"What kind of game?" asked Maki, now interested.

"My high school friends and I used to play this game all the time," Asuka continued. "Basically, we sit here like we are now and we wait for a cute guy to come by. Once we see a cute guy, one of us will go up to him and hit on him. It's like truth or dare, but only with a dare and only a single dare that everyone is assigned to."

"Gee, I don't know," Maki said.

Cassandra smiled. "I think it's a great idea. Besides, I need to get to know some of the guys around here, especially since we're going to be here for a while." She then turned her head and spotted Maxi walking nearby. "Here we go. I'll go first." She then got up and began walking over to Maxi.

The girls looked at her in a bit of surprise. "She's quite the daring type," said Sakura.

"Hey, did anyone notice she's bringing her shield along?" asked a curious Ibuki.

Cassandra soon approached there. "Hi, I'm Cassandra."

Maxi looked over at the younger girl, a bit surprised. "Um, hi there. Aren't you the one who hangs out with the girls who giggle a lot?"

Cassandra couldn't help but giggle herself. "Yeah, we always like to hang out together."

"So I see," Maxi replied. "Well, I'm sorry but I can't talk right now, maybe next time."

Maxi began leaving then. Cassandra exhaled loudly, now angry because she wasn't able to get Maxi to talk to her longer. In her anger, she took the shield that was in her hand, bonked Maxi over the head, and rendered him unconscious.

"Well you know what?!" Cassandra yelled out. "You're definitely not my type!" Then she stormed off.

The other five girls looked at her and could've sworn they felt a bead of sweat on her forehead. All five of them sighed in sync.

"Well, that game got ruined," said Asuka. "Let's do something else…"

"Yeah," the other four replied, unsure of what to do now…

~~~

**The Next Morning…**

After a long sleep, Alex woke up and found herself in her own room on her bed. After opening her eyes, a pounding headache immediately came over her.

"Damn…" she mumbled to herself. "How much did I drink last night?"

She remembered being at the gathering by the campfire in celebration for her and Kenshi's victory in round two. Other than that, it was all she could remember.

Alex slightly moved a little and felt her headache even more. She placed a hand over her forehead and rubbed it a little, hoping that it would ease the pain a bit.

She then moved a little again. This time, she felt someone next to her and her blue eyes quickly widened nearly as big as saucers. "No... I didn't…" she mumbled. Alex then slowly turned her head over to the left, hoping that it was all in her imagination.

However, once she got a view of a shirtless Wagner, her worst fears were confirmed. Wagner himself was already wide awake, baring a big grin on his face as he looked over at Alex with his midnight blue eyes.

"Good morning, honey," he said jokingly and with high-pitch cheerfulness.

Suddenly, Alex let out a shriek so loud, it forced Wagner to jump back and fall off the small bed. Alex ended up backing away too far that she too fell off the other side of the bed. She quickly got on to her feet and saw Wagner struggling to get his jeans over his boxers, the only piece of clothing he originally had on.

"Please tell me this was a joke!" Alex yelled out.

Wagner laughed as he got his jeans on. "Don't blame me! This was all Sonya's idea!"

"What for?!" 

Then, at that moment, Sonya pulled the curtain over to see what was going on. With her were both Guile and Lita.

"Oh bloke," said Lita as Sonya slapped her own knee and burst out laughing. Guile only shook his head, realizing that his own instincts were right.

"Don't worry Alex, Wagner didn't do anything to you," said Sonya, still laughing. "After you won your match and I didn't, I just had to pull a prank on you."

After the statement, Alex screamed, "GET OUT!" Immediately all four of them scrambled out of there, but not before Wagner grabbed his green tank top from the floor.

Once they were far from Alex's room, Lita looked over at Wagner. "I'll admit, that was pretty funny. However, something tells me that you two pulled that prank at a _very_ bad time."

Wagner sighed, getting what she might've meant. "You know… I think you're right…"


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Outdoor Arena**

Once again, the morning sun rose into the Outworld sky. It was another day for round two, another day of fighting, and another day of less fighters gaining the chance to possess The Blood Tournament's grand prize.

As the morning matches were performed, Yun, Yin, and Yang Lee sat on the front benches of the Outdoor arena, watching these matches as patiently as they could. Some matches went quick, some took a long time before a winner was announced. Some were quite impress while others were, well, boring.

The three siblings were mostly quiet as the matches continued. They were here because Yang was going to fight today. When that was, they weren't sure. All they knew was that his notice card said to be there at 9am this morning and nothing more, as it normally was for all the fighters in the tournament.

Yun let out a small yawn before breaking the silence. "It makes you wonder how many fighters are here. I have to give credit to those running the show. They're handling the amount of fighters attending quite well."

"Considering this is another world," replied Yin. "It might not even be a bit of a problem to them."

A match soon ended. Yang found himself sighing a little. "To think Grandfather was invited to this tournament. I still feel guilty about leaving him behind."

Yun turned to his brother at the mention of their grandfather Gen. "He wanted us to come here."

"There had to be a reason," Yang mentioned. "Something tells me that he wouldn't just let us go to this tournament, not with all that was happening."

"We shouldn't worry," said Yin. "When you guys told me about the tournament, Auntie offered to go down to Hong Kong from Shanghai to look after him. We don't have to worry about anything." She then sighed. "I just hope he's still with us when we return to Earth."

That statement alone completely silenced her brothers. They had been living with Grandfather since they were toddlers, ever since their parents divorced. Their mother, now deceased, had taken Yin up to Shanghai to live with their aunt while the brothers were supposed to stay with their father. However, their father mysterious vanished one night and Gen had taken them under his wing almost immediately.

The three seemed to have dazed out for a bit, not paying much attention to anything around them. That was until the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament in this particular arena announced the first of two fighters for the next match.

"Yang Lee!"

The grim feeling suddenly seemed to disappear as the three of them stood up. "Make it quick," said Yun. "It's almost lunch time!"

"Good luck Yang!" said Yin, now feeling a bit excited.

Yang managed to smirk at his brother and sister. "Thanks," he said before stepping into the ring. He managed to get himself in the middle before his opponent was announced.

"Nina Williams!"

Yang was a bit surprised when he heard the name. As the blonde agent stepped into the ring, a thought came to Yang.

 _Didn't Yun fight someone who had the same last name?_ Yang smirked to himself a little by the coincidence. _I wonder if they're sisters._

Come to think of it, Yun had even fought in the same arena a few days ago.

Nina walked near the middle of the ring before stopping, leaving some space between her and Yang. _Hmph, he's one of the 'kids' living in the cave,_ she thought. _At least he's one of the better amateurs._

Without saying anything, the two got in to their fighting stance and immediately after, the match was called to begin. The two of them circled each other for less than a minute before running towards each other. Immediately, they exchanged hand-to-hand combat, both of them switching between offense and defense. Both fighters had the same determined look on their faces as they each hoped to dominate the other.

Meanwhile, Yun began to find himself daydreaming a bit. He thought back on his last match. It may have been the match he lost, but it happened to be the match when he first met Anna. He hasn't see the young woman since their encounter in the tournament and he wondered where she was right now. He couldn't remember the last thing she said to him, but he wouldn't forget the little wink she gave him along with the blow kiss.

 _She's such a beauty,_ he thought.

Then, his thoughts were quickly interrupted as he felt a nudge on his arm. Yun turned his head and faced his sister Yin. "You better be paying attention," she demanded. "You could learn a few things from Yang."

"Yeah yeah," Yun replied before turning his attention to the match.

Back in the match, Nina and Yang continue they hand to hand combat. Both fighters were able to get a few hits, but that was it, for a while at least. Yang made a decision then once he was able to find an opening.

" _Raishin Mahhaken!_ " he cried out. He quickly stomped on one foot, then, at the same time, he performed a spear-hand strike at Nina's stomach. The move caught Nina by surprise as she keeled over a bit. Then, she was hit with a few punches before Yang dashed past her and jabbed an open a palm at the flesh of her neck. He only applied the move just enough that he didn't end up killing her.

Nina fell on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, coughing in the process. Yang stood where he was, giving her the chance to recover. Not even thirty seconds past when Nina began getting back on her feet, still trying to catch her breath. Yang got back in his fighting stance then, prepared for her next move.

Without turning around, Nina spoke. "Not bad… not bad at all… and I rarely admit that too." Then, she quickly turned around and covered the short distance between them. Nina quickly threw a right hook punch, but Yang quickly blocked it. He attempted to follow up with a left uppercut, which Nina blocked as well.

This went on for another minute before Nina found a wide opening. She slightly smirked to herself as she jumped up and wrapped her legs around Yang's neck. She then dropped the rest of her body upside down, placed her hands on the ground, then manage to flip Yang over her. Yang flew a few feet forward before stumbling out of the ring.

"Crap," Yun muttered as he and Yin quickly made their way to their brother.

"Winner: Nina Williams!" the Shadow Priest called out as Nina straightened herself out. She thought nothing more as she made her way out of the ring.

Yun and Yin soon reached Yang as he slightly shook his head a little from the impact with the ground. "She was one heck of a fighter," Yang mentioned. "Too bad I lost."

"It's all right Yang," answered Yin. She then smiled a little. "Look on the bright side, at least your little sister is still in the tournament."

Yang looked at Yin. "Yeah."

Then Yun spoke. "You have to admit though, that last move she did… that was hot."

Immediately, Yin nudged Yun, but harder than previously. "Owe!" Yun called out.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

Weapons clashed as the shaman Nightwolf fought against his opponent Sodom. The two had been going at it for a couple of minutes, with Nightwolf using his two tomahawks against Sodom's two juttes.

Just before the match began, Nightwolf sensed that Sodom was the arrogant type just by the way the former Mad Gear member displayed himself, speaking in random Japanese. Though Nightwolf didn't speak much Japanese himself, he was able to understand the language well. What he basically got was that Sodom was going to beat him into a blood pulp.

Overconfidence… it was what made Sodom arrogant.

Their weapons continued to clash with one another as the fighting between them continued for a little bit longer. Then, the weapons collided with such force that both fighters lost their grip on their weapons. The four weapons slid away from them with only one of Nightwolf's tomahawks sliding out of the ring.

Immediately after, the two of them exchanged punches and kicks, both of them on offense and defense. This only last for a few seconds before Nightwolf got the upper hand. A few kicks from him forced Sodom to pull back a little in order to give himself room to recover from the hits.

Sodom was able to quickly shift his eyes under his blue helmet and saw that he was just a foot away from one of his juttes. Quickly, he picked them up as Nightwolf attempted to go after him. Sodom quickly slid himself forward, swinging his jutte in the process. Nightwolf saw the move in time and tried to get out of the way, only to get a cut in his left arm.

Nightwolf clenched his teeth a bit, covering his hand over the wound he just received. _I'll admit, he's fast,_ the Earthrealm shaman thought to himself.

Then, Sodom used his weapon and quickly threw it at Nightwolf. Being more prepared this time, Nightwolf spread his arms apart as his body was surrounded by a green aura. Just when one would thing that the jutte would slice right into Nightwolf's chest, the weapon suddenly seemed to reflect right off of him and headed back towards Sodom.

Sodom quickly jumped out of the way of his own weapon, despite being quite surprised by the attack. With him jumping out of the way, this gave Nightwolf the chance to perform another move. Still surrounded by the green aura, Nightwolf slid himself towards Sodom, covering the distance between them, and slammed himself shoulder first right into his opponent. The force of the move pushed Sodom right out of the ring.

After a few seconds, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Nightwolf!"

The audience clapped in unison after the announcement. Sodom was on his hands and knees, attempting to get up. Some people in the audience tried to help him, but the Earthrealm native pushed their hands away harshly. He got to his feet and turned around. He felt surprised when he saw Nightwolf standing there, his tomahawks placed away. In his stretched out arms were Sodom's juttes. Sodom stood there for a moment before taking his juttes back in his hands. Then, silently, Sodom turned around and walked out of the arena. A moment later, Nightwolf followed.

A few more matches followed. Maxi was one of the handful of other fighters waiting for their turn to participate in their matches today. With him were his close allies Kilik and Xianghua, who were both there to support their friend.

"I forgot to mention," Maxi began to say as he looked over at Kilik. "Congratulations on making it to round three yesterday."

"Thanks," Kilik replied as he slightly leaned against his rod weapon.

"I have my match tomorrow," said Xianghua. "I wonder who I'll be fighting."

Maxi decided to joke with her then. "Hopefully against someone who doesn't have a pretty dress for you to ruin."

Kilik couldn't help but chuckle a little as he remembered Xianghua mentioning how she ruined a very nice dress her last opponent wore during the first round. Xianghua sighed to herself, ignoring the comment.

After a few more minutes, a match ended. The victor stepped out of the ring as his unconscious opponent was dragged out of the ring by his allies. Once everything calmed down, the Shadow Priest stood up.

"The next match will begin." It was silent for a brief moment before announcing the first of the two opponent for the next match. "Maxi!"

"Finally," Maxi said.

"Good luck," Kilik and Xianghua said at the same time. Maxi nodded, acknowledging them before going under the ropes and headed into the ring. Once he got in the middle, he stretched his arms and neck a little, then checked to see that his two nunchakus were still in place on either side of his hips.

Then, his opponent was announced. "Vega Fabio De Cerna!"

Maxi shifted his eyes around in search of his opponent. After a brief moment, someone from the audience performed a forward flip, then landed in the ring just a few feet away from Maxi. It was definitely Maxi's opponent Vega. After the landing, Vega slowly straightened himself out, revealing his 6'2'' frame. Maxi looked up at him, not intimidated by his height despite being only 5'8'' himself. He saw the mask, which made him raise an eyebrow. Just who was this guy?

Vega laughed just after Maxi raised his eyebrow. "So I'll be fighting you?" He then looked at his hair. "I must say though, you are one ugly excuse for an Elvis wannabe."

 _Who?_ Maxi asked himself. Being from Keisei, he has never even heard of Elvis in his life. However, he did call him ugly…

"Hmph, and by your looks and that stupid laugh, you're more girly than your mother!"

Unknown to Maxi, that hit a major nerve on Vega. Years ago, Vega's beautiful mother was murdered by his own ugly stepfather, all because he believed that she didn't respect him. His ice blue eyes quickly widened in rage and, nearly as quickly, he darted after him before the Shadow Priest had the chance to call the match to begin.

Maxi was nearly caught by surprise by Vega's speed. However, nothing caught him more with surprise than the three sharp claws presented on Vega's left hand.

Quickly, Maxi took out one of his nunchakus and dodged out of the way of Vega's path. Vega past him, but he managed to quickly land on the ground safely with his feet. Then, with equal speed, he stepped forward and slashed his claw continuously. Maxi was forced to jump back with each slash.

 _Damn he's fast!_ Maxi cried out in his mind. At one point, he placed his nunchaku in front of him to avoid more slashes from the claw. _I wonder how long I can keep up._

After another swing from Vega's claw, Maxi was able to regain himself and began lashing back with his nunchaku, let out battle cries with each new swing. Both fighters lashed at each other with their weapons along with dodging from one another in order to avoid getting hit.

Then, Vega was able to land three cuts, one from each claw, on Maxi's left arm, the wounds immediately bleeding. Aside from drawing a sharp exhale, the Keisei native ignored the pain and bleeding altogether and continued fighting.

The two fighters fought in the same fashion for a little while longer. Maxi was able to smack Vega with his nunchaku a few times while Vega managed to draw more blood from Maxi's body. Not wanting to get anymore cuts (or a fatal wound for that matter), he had a plan, and had to do it now.

Maxi stepped aside from another jab from Vega. Taken by surprise, Vega stumbled forward a bit. Maxi then wrapped his nunchaku around Vega's left wrist, pulled forward, then with his free hand, he was able to get the claw off of him and threw it aside.

"How does it feel to not have the only thing you rely on?" Maxi asked in a serious tone.

This immediately angered Vega. With his free arm, he jabbed his elbow into Maxi's side, forcing the Keisei native to let go. Vega then rolled forward before getting back on his feet. He turned himself around, then quickly covered the distance between them. Maxi had long placed his nunchaku away and now they would fight hand to hand.

Vega jabbed a fist forward, which Maxi blocked. Vega then followed up with a left hook, which connected. Maxi head swung back a bit, but that didn't stop him from throwing a punch of his own, which landed on the side of Vega's head. Vega quickly pulled back then and attempted a few kicks. Some of them hit Maxi, but he was able to block and dodge most of them.

Then, Maxi performed a round house kick, forcing Vega to turn 180 degrees. Following that, Maxi lifted his foot up as far as he could, then landed a hard kick to the back of Vega's head. Vega let out a small yelp as he fell forward face first. Maxi expected him to get up afterward, but after a few moments, Vega still wasn't moving. Maxi slowly walked over to him and slightly nudged his foot just under his stomach. Indeed, he was unconscious.

"Winner: Maxi!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Indeed, Vega was fast, but perhaps he didn't have the brawn Maxi had. Maxi smirked to himself as he looked down at his defeated opponent. "Hurts doesn't it? That's what it's like to lose." He then turned around and headed back to where Kilik and Xianghua were. Beforehand, Maxi realized that the strand of hair in front of him, previously clumped together and nicely curled, was now going in different directions.

_Man, he messed up my hair…_

~~~

**Underground Lair, Later that Evening**

Ivy Valentine looked over at her opponent with interest. She only knew him by his name, Kabal, and he bared an oxygen mask and countless scars. She noted his hookswords too and became even more interested. For the last few days, she noticed him around Shao Kahn's palace. She was curious to know what kind of fighter he was.

Kabal himself was thinking the same thing as he studied the woman he was about to fight. Determination was written all over her face and nothing more. In her right hand was her sword, which he heard from Havik that it was able to uncoil itself and become a whole new weapon.

Neither one of them said a word to each other as they placed themselves in their fighting stance. Because he had other things to attend to, as it was announced before the first match of the night in the lair, a Shadow Priest had taken Shang Tsung's place as host of the tournament. Once it saw that the two fighters were ready, it called for the match to begin.

Not wasting any more time, both Ivy and Kabal lashed their weapons out and went after each other. The weapons quickly collided, the beginning of yet another weapon battle. The sound of steel hitting steel was heard around in the quiet arena along with the battle cries that escaped of the throats of both Ivy and Kabal.

The weapons continued to collide for a while long before Kabal pulled back, then ran past Ivy in such speed that he almost became a blur. Ivy wasn't sure what he was doing, but she prepared herself for it. However, she didn't expect herself to suddenly spin around continuously and out of her own control.

Kabal wait for a brief moment as Ivy became nothing but a blur, almost resembling a cyclone. Then, he put his foot out and kicked her in the abdomen, sending her flying a few feet back. Ivy was glad to be out of that situation… however, she was more dizzy than she has ever been in her entire life. She closed her eyes, hoping that the spinning feeling would cease.

After another minute, she was able to hear Kabal's footsteps coming towards her. Ivy opened her eyes. She was still feeling dizzy, but not as bad as before. She then was able to feel the hilt of her sword… her treasure.

"Sing, my sword," she whispered. The Keisei native quickly lashed her sword out, causing it to uncoil into eight pieces. Because Kabal wasn't expecting this, the tip of the uncoiled sword manage to leave a cut on his right forearm, now adding to the collection of scars he had on his shard body. He briefly stopped in his tracks to recover from the unexpected pain.

"You are indeed a very worthy fighter," Kabal admitted, his deep voice reaching Ivy's ears. "No one in the past has been able to recover from my move as quick as you have."

Ivy was finally able to get back on her feet then. She slightly smirked a little. "I don't know what to say… however, I promise you won't suffer… much."

"Hmm," Kabal mumbled before quickly dashing forward towards Ivy. Ivy quickly reconnected her sword into it's normal form just as Kabal began swinging his hookswords forward, which she blocked immediately. Once again, the two continued their swordplay.

For a while, they seemed even. That was until Ivy was able to get the upper hand, leaving more future scars on Kabal. Afterwards, she uncoiled her sword once again before wrapping it around Kabal's neck. With a kick to the stomach, she forced Kabal to his knees before going behind him and placing her foot behind his back.

Ivy applied pressure on Kabal's neck along with the tube that provided him with air supply. She only let a little air in his lungs, that way she didn't end up killing him. Kabal struggled to get out of the hold, having lost his grip on his hookswords after the kick he received from Ivy.

After a few moments, Kabal limped forward as he passed out from lack of oxygen. Immediately, so that she didn't officially kill him, she released her hold on him, his body falling forward into the ground.

After another moment, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Ivy Valentine!"

The audience clapped as Ivy coiled her sword and made her way out of the ring. Unknown to her, up in the balcony, Shao Kahn found himself applauding a couple of times.

"Good show," he said to no one in particular despite the guards around him. "I'm glad I recruited her to my army. As for Kabal… he and the other defeated minions of mine should consider themselves lucky… they will all be needed at the end of the tournament…"

A few more matches went underway before Noob Saibot's name was announced for his own match. He entered the ring quietly, not expecting much out of this tournament. Once he reached the middle, he folded his arms, awaiting his opponent.

"Song!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Noob stood there with no emtion as an old but well fit man stepped into the ring. He was bald man with a light gray goatee resting just above his chest, which was covered by a brown shirt accompanied by black pants and black slippers. He nearly had the same look as Noob as he stepped further into the ring.

 _Pathetic!_ Noob thought disappointed. _They put me up against an old fool._

Keeping an eye on each other, both Noob and Song got into their fighting stance.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Immediately, the two went after each other, quickly going on both offense and defense throwing various punches and kicks. A minute into the fight, Noob realized that he may have underestimated the old man. Song had great strength despite his age and he was a quick fighter as he was able to maneuver away from Noob's attacks just as quick as the wraith can.

In a bit of frustration, Noob quickly pulled back, then threw his right arm out, his hand opened. In the middle of the throw, countless throwing stars came out and heading towards Song. To Noob's surprise, the old man was able to dodge away from all of them, despite them going in different directions. The people behind Song ducked out of the way to avoid the small weapons, though only one viewer was unfortunate enough to have one lodged in his shoulder. He was taken out of the lair immediately by his friends around him.

Noob then decided to try another tactic. He quickly surrounded himself in a black mist before disappearing altogether, making himself invisible. He attempted to run forward and jump kick at his opponent. However, Song was able to sense Noob and knock him out of the air. Noob reappeared in normal sight after the hit and landed on the ground.

As he got up, Noob was suddenly met with a large fireball projectile. The force was so powerful that it literally knocked Noob right out of the ring.

Song stood there silently as the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Song!"

Noob, now pissed, managed to get himself up. "Prepare to die!" he announced. He attempted to get back in the ring, but the guards surrounding the ring blocked him from his way. This only angered Noob more as he grabbed two guards and threw them in different directions, much to the surprise of the audience. Having enough of this afterward, Noob then disappeared in a black mist.

After the incident, Song turned to the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament and bowed to him. The Shadow Priest nodded to Song before the old man began making his way out of the ring. He passed the audience, not acknowledging the fact that they were congratulating him on his victory.

Once Song completely passed everyone… once everyone was behind his back, he smirked to himself as his eyes glowed in a green mist…


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Indoor Arena**

"YAHOO!" Dan Hibiki cried. His name had just been called out by the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament, being the first of two fighters in a match. He had waited patiently since he won his fight in round one. He jumped into the ring, performed a couple of forward rolls towards the middle of the ring, and then stood himself up. He grinned and showed off a thumb's up with his right hand. Not much reaction was heard, except for a couple of claps coming from the back.

Then, his opponent's name was called out. "Tanya!"

Dan was surprised upon hearing a girl's name. He never expected to fight a girl at all in this tournament. No matter, he was going to come out of this a winner. Once he spotted the tanned woman coming into the ring, he smiled.

 _What a cutie!_ he thought in his head.

Tanya noticed the goofy grin on Dan's face and felt her nose twitch a couple of times. _How did someone like him get into the second round?_ she thought.

She soon stood a few feet from him. The grin vanished from Dan's face and was replaced with a small smirk. Tanya got into a fighting stance and moved her feet a little. Dan placed his hands behind his back and paced back and forth a little.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Dan raised his arms up then. "Let's do this shall we?"

Tanya only stared at him, her fists raised as the two began circling each other. Dan slowly brought himself closer to Tanya. However, at one point, he nearly tripped over his own feet, but then he managed to catch himself before falling completely flat on his face.

Tanya simply rolled her eyes at this. _This fight is going to be_ too _easy._

 _Oopsie,_ he thought as he laughed in his mind. He then began to approach, being more careful with his footing this time before he started throwing punches at her. Much to his dismay, Tanya was able to dodge and block all of his punches.

After a while longer, Dan looked at her. "Come on, are you going to try to hit me?"

At that moment, Tanya saw a chance to strike. Feeling that he wasn't a serious fighter, Tanya showed a sadistic grin and, using two fingers, quickly poked him in the eyes as though she was a cat scratching him.

"OWE!" Dan cried out as he backed away, covering his eyes. He took a moment to recover. "Why did you do that?"

Soon Dan was able to adjust his eyes. Tanya stood there with her hands on her hips, her grin still on her face. He smiled as well. "Ah, are you trying to flirt with me?" He then ran back towards her and threw more punches combining them with kicks. Once again, Tanya was able to dodge and block his moves. And once again, when the right time came, she poked him in the eyes again in the same way she did before.

"OWE!" Dan cried out, once again covering his eyes and backing away. The audience began to laugh a little.

This started to get to Dan a bit. He was sick of being a joke to everyone. Ignoring the pain, he managed to open his brown eyes and look at Tanya. "Okay, eat this!"

The pink-clad fighter threw his hands forward and a small blue ball of energy came out. " _GADOUKEN!_ "

However, the projectile only went a feet towards Tanya before popping into nothing like a bubble. Dan sighed to himself. "I really have to work on that more," he mumbled.

Tanya smirked as she raised her hand. "Too bad," she said before throwing her hand forward. A large fireball shot out of her hand and quickly headed towards Dan.

"OYAJI!" Dan cried out before being hit and sent a few feet from her. The moment he landed, Dan lost consciousness.

After a few more seconds, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Tanya!"

The audience clapped, but more slowly and unsure than normal. Tanya looked down at Dan as she pushed back her black hair over her shoulder. "That match was such a joke..." she said before leaving the ring.

~~~

**The Cave**

Wearing a silky lavender dress, Rose looked into her crystal ball in the lounge area, probably what was the quietest place in the area, especially considering that most of the fighters were out either attending or watching the tournament.

 _Tomorrow is the last day of round two,_ Rose thought. _And if I'm correct, Guy is the only one fighting tomorrow from this cave._

A small shiver went up her spine as she thought about this morning. Guy had went up to her about an issue with his fight that just came up…

_"Rose I need to talk to you," the Bushin Ninja said as he approached the psychic in the lounge area while she was preparing breakfast._

_Rose looked over at Guy, who displayed a serious look on his face. In his left hand was a blue index card. She turned the rest of her body around. "Is something wrong?"_

_Guy walked over to her and handed over the card. "I'm not sure but… at the moment, it's more like a suspicion." Rose took the card and read it over._

Guy-

Your match tomorrow in the Courtyard at 8am has been moved to another location. We cannot disclose the location in this card. However, we advise that you'd be at the main palace grounds at 7am tomorrow by the water fountain. Someone will meet you there and take you to the location.

PS- Come alone, no exceptions.

_Rose looked up at Guy after reading. "This does seem strange. I don't think such a thing has happened yet in the tournament. Are you going to go along with this?"_

_"I feel that I have no other choice," Guy replied. "I will meditate on this in a little while. Something tells me that this match is going to be quite different."_

_Rose began to get an uneasy feeling then. "I know it says to come alone, but I wish I could go with you in case anything happened."_

_Guy waved his hand to her. "I'll be fine. I'm sure it's not a big deal. If I do discover anything, I'll report back to you and Raiden. Besides, you told us that you were going to find new recruits to our cause. Continue with that, don't worry about me."_

_Rose shook her head. "At least let Raiden go with you."_

_Again, Guy waved a hand. "It's fine. I just wanted to inform you about this. Besides, something tells me that I'll get something out of this fight. If that's the case, then I should go alone, just in case it may cause an interference in my match."_

_Rose nodded as she unwillingly accepted Guy's wishes. After that, Guy began heading out of the lounge area, leaving the index card with her._

Rose sighed to herself after the thought. Guy was right… it was time to look for more recruits as Raiden requested if the group was going to be a better force. She straightened herself up in her chair and took a deep breath as she cleared her mind.

Her hand sized crystal ball began to glow a bit in a soft blue color. In her mind, Rose was able to see all the fighters gathered together in one large group. Her vision seemed to scan the area as though it was looking for the perfect recruit.

This seemed to last for eternity, at least that's how it felt for Rose. She kept her patience as her vision continued to scan. Finally, it stopped. Rose was only able to briefly look at the person. She immediately saw that it was a woman wearing mostly white and wore what looked like a gasa on her head. Before Rose was able to see her face, the vision vanished and the fortune teller opened her eyes, finding herself back in the cave.

 _That lady in white,_ Rose thought. _I could sense her pure heart and soul… I must seek her out soon._

Her thoughts were then quickly interrupted when she suddenly felt a electric surge quickly go through her hands. Rose looked over at her crystal ball with wide eyes and saw that the object was filled with electricity. She quickly backed her hand away as she felt her purple hair beginning to stand on it's ends.

"What in the world…" she said. "The crystal ball never did that before."

That was when Raiden came in to the lounge. In his hands was a fork and plate and on the plate was what looked like a slice of blueberry pie.

"I swear," Raiden began to say. "That girl Yin makes the best blueberry pies in the world! I'm glad I recruited her to this group."

Then a thought came to Rose. _Who else has the power of electricity around here?!_

"YOU!" Rose yelled out, pointing a finger at Raiden. "You tried to kill me!"

Raiden looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what you did! There should be no other reason why my crystal ball had any traces of electricity unless it was tampered with! I nearly fried myself to death!"

Raiden raised and eyebrow then. "You're crazy! When I met you, I figured you were a little loopy, but not like this!" With that, he left the lounge leaving Rose even more pissed. To relieve her frustration, she grabbed a mug and threw it at the area where Raiden was standing a few seconds ago.

As a crash was heard, Raiden couldn't help but smirk to himself. _The best part about pulling little pranks is denying it._

~~~

**Courtyard**

Kilik and Maxi stood behind the ropes as their friend Xianghua headed towards the middle of the ring. They had waited all morning for her named to be called and the both of them sighed of relief once it happened. They both wished her good luck and she smiled at them before heading in.

"How are your cuts healing?" Kilik said.

Maxi patted his arm, one of four sets of cuts he got from his match with Vega yesterday. "They still sting a bit, but at least I'm not dead or anything. Hopefully, that crazy guy I fought doesn't go after me with those claws out of revenge or something."

"I'm sure it won't happen," Kilik assured.

Then, Shang Tsung, who was once again hosting the courtyard matches, announced Xianghua's opponent. "Ryu!"

Immediately, Kilik and Maxi sighed. "She's done for," said Maxi.

"Yup," Kilik agreed.

Xianghua stayed in her place as Ryu approached the middle of the ring and stopped once he did. Figuring that she didn't need her sword, Xianghua placed her weapon in her royal blue scabbard next to her waist.

Ryu bowed to her in respect and Xianghua followed. "Good luck and may the best win," Xianghua said. Ryu nodded with a small smirk, acknowledging her words. At the same time then, they got into their fighting stances.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

Xianghua waited for a moment, seeing if Ryu would make the first move. The two ended up circling each other for a bit before Xianghua decided to make the first strike, wanting to get the match moving. Immediately, Ryu defended himself by blocking her moves. He then attempted to fighting back and the two ended up switching between offense and defense. For a while, the two seemed a bit even, much to Kilik and Maxi's surprise. They had to give their friend credit though. Xianghua was a petite young woman who, at twenty years old, could hold her own in a fight quite well.

Some time came before Ryu began getting the upper hand in the fight. In between, Xianghua tried her best to fight back, but she was only getting blocked in return. The more Ryu fought, the more Xianghua came to the realization that her loss was inevitable. Ryu was indeed a very strong fighter, probably the strongest fighter she has ever faced in her entire life.

Xianghua backed herself up a bit as she attempted to recover from the fight for a just a moment. However, it ended up being a big mistake. Quickly, Ryu gathered chi energy into his hands before shooting them forward, letting out a large blue round projectile.

" _Hadouken!_ " he called out. Xianghua saw the projectile coming and tried to step out of the way. However, the projectile was too fast for her and before she knew it, she flew right out of the ring and crashed into the audience and landed on the ground outside of the ring.

Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Ryu!"

Immediately, Kilik and Maxi ran towards Xianghua, pushing people out of the way in the process. They soon reached her and bent down to her as she slowly sat herself up.

"Are you okay?" Kilik asked her as he and Maxi helped her up to her feet.

Xianghua felt the tears swell up in her eyes, but she was able to suppress them, refusing to show any weakness. "I, I'm fine."

Maxi turned his head to the ring, wondering if Ryu was still around. However, the man in the white karate gi was now nowhere to be seen.

"What a jerk," Maxi said. "Who defeats a girl and walks away without checking if she's okay?"

Kilik only half listened as he too noticed Ryu left the courtyard. Yes, it was indeed a rude thing, but even though Xianghua was one of his close friends, the Ling Sheng Su fighter had a feeling that Ryu had his reasons. He always seemed respectful to everyone in the cave and never saw him like that until now. And if anything, it can't be anything like just over a bad day either…

~~~

**Forest Area Not Too Far From The Cave**

Sitting crossed legged with his hands on his knees while leaning against a large tree, Guy kept his eyes closed as he meditated, breathing in deeply and exhaling out in a slow, rhythmic pace. Not a sound was heard all around him, which was exactly what he needed at this time.

Guy had done some meditations when he arrived here in Outworld, mostly preparing his body for the tournament. However, it hasn't been this serious since receiving the invitation to the tournament.

Tomorrow, the last day of round two of the tournament, was his match and one that felt different from all the rest. He was to meet with someone at the main palace grounds and that person would escort them to the location where he was supposed to fight. Whatever was to happen then, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he had to prepare himself.

Rose was worried once she found out. She wanted either her or Raiden to come with him to this match somehow. However, Guy was willing to obey the note telling him to come alone. Not only did he feel that their presence may cause interference, but he also didn't want the two leaders to jeopardize their lives just for him. This was the type of thing he felt confident about handling on his own.

As he continued to meditate, a vision suddenly came to Guy. In his mind, a young woman with long black hair stood before him. She seemed to reach her hand out towards him. Then, she partially opened her mouth;

"Guy," she called out.

Quickly, Guy snapped out of his meditation and opened his eyes as a bead of sweat lingered from his brow. He let out short breaths, having been surprised by the vision, especially since he knew who he was.

"Rena…" he muttered.

It was his fiance and Maki's older sister, who he lost four years ago to leukemia. He couldn't remember the last time she appeared to him in his mind. For a long time, she had haunted him during his meditations as well as in his dreams after her passing. He thought that it was over after it all stopped almost a year ago. As much as he loved her, he didn't want this to happen, now right now, not the night before his match.

As he tried to figure out what just happen, he suddenly heard a twig crack not too far from him. The crunch was heavy enough to be from a human's foot. Guy immediately knew that someone was close and he slowly stood himself up, still standing next to the tree he was leaning on. He listened and soon was able to hear the footsteps. Slowly, he stepped to the side, ready for whoever was there.

Guy took another step and then he suddenly heard a whooshing noise, as though a weapon was flying after him. Not taking a chance, Guy quickly tucked himself and rolled over to the opposite side. As he did, a weapon plunged itself into the tree. Guy looked up at it and recognized the weapon… it was a jutte.

The Bushin ninja had no doubt about who his attacker was.

"I guess it was only a matter of time," he said as he shifted his eyes. Standing before him was the former Mad Gear gang member Sodom. In one hand, he held another jutte, which he then placed back on his belt.

Guy stared at him, expecting Sodom to fight him, just like he always did every time they met. However, he only went to the tree to retrieve his other jutte. This time, he kept it in his hand.

"What do you want?" the Bushin ninja asked.

Sodom finally looked at him then. " _Watashi wa saishūtekini ima anata ni chōsen shitai to omoimasu!_ "

Being a Japanese speaker himself, Guy understood what he said. "This is not a good time to challenge me. It's going to have to wait until after the tournament. You'll get your wish then." With that, Guy walked away, though he still kept his eye on him.

Sodom stood there in anger, throwing down his weapon on the ground in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to kill the Bushin Ninja right then and there, all because he broke his undefeated streak in an underground tournament years ago back in Metro City. He'll let this go for now, but the next time they meet, even if they were in the middle of a big crowd, he'll attack without calling out his intentions. It wasn't worth it after all.

~~~

**Later That Evening, Underground Lair**

A kick to the stomach sent Sagat stumbling a few feet back. He quickly recovered from the blow before he looked up at his opponent, Ermac. The Muay Thai fighter had to admit… during the last three minutes of their fight, the enigma proved to be a very powerful fighter. Sagat had seen him around Shao Kahn's palace since he arrived. He believed that he was one of the recruits in the higher ranks of the developing army.

Ermac quickly placed a hand out and a green orb-like projectile shot out of it, leaving a trail of green mist behind. Sagat quickly dodged out of the way, bringing himself towards Ermac, and began their hand to hand combat once again. They continued their until Ermac floated himself just above Sagat's head. Before Sagat could grab him, Ermac dropped himself to the ground in a quick fashion, causing a brief earthquake in the lair. Sagat nearly lost his balance, but was able to regain himself once the earthquake ceased.

" _Tiger!_ " Sagat called out as he shot his arms out forward. A projectile in a shape of half disc shot out at Ermac, who ducked from it just in time. Sagat then shot out another projectile, this time lower. This took Ermac by surprised and he was literally swept off his feet. He floated up quickly as a green aura surrounding him. He then got himself on his feet just as Sagat reached him.

Another minute went by during their combat. Both of them had been on both offense and defense, though Sagat began to get the upper hand in the offense side. Soon, the Muay Thai fighter had enough and decided to perform one of his more devastating moves.

" _Tiger Genocide!_ " he called out. He managed to grab Ermac as he leaned one of his knees forward and smashed it hard into his stomach. He then followed it with multiple uppercuts sending both of them flying high into the air. Soon, Sagat landed on his two feet safely as Ermac landed on his side, losing consciousness in the process.

Sagat was then announced the winner. The Muay Thai fighter looked down at Ermac after. He was powerful, but not powerful enough to win.

"Not even an army can take me down," he said before departing. There was a meeting tonight for all the new recruits, including himself, and he had to prepare for it.

~~~

**That Night, Unknown Area**

Accompanied by a few guards, Shao Kahn entered a large room. A handful of people stood in their place, having waited for him for quite some time. These people were new recruits, waiting to be placed on their assignments under Shao Kahn's orders.

The Emperor looked at each of them. He mainly noticed seven of them mostly… Sagat, Vega, Viper, Anna, Havik, Kabal, and Kira. These seven he had the most interest in.

"Welcome!" he booming voice called out. This caught everyone's attention and all stayed quiet as they listened to the Outworld Emperor.

"You are all here because you have passed your training in order to be a member of the new developing forces. You have proven that you have good reasons to be here and I believe you will all be loyal to me." He then looked over at Sagat. "I am most impressed with you Sagat. Ermac is one of my best Generals and you were able to take him down."

Sagat nodded. "Thank you, Emperor."

Shao Kahn continued. "Now, from here I will assign you to your positions. Havik, Kabal, and Kira… you will be guarding the entrance to my main quarters. Sagat and Vega… based on your previous experience with Shadaloo, you will be my personal bodyguards during the evening when necessary. Anna, I want you to join with Ivy and Tanya. From there, you will receive further directions from Ivy. Viper, I want you to spy on those who may be a threat to our plan. The rest of you, follow the guards out the door and you will receive further directions."

Everyone nodded, accepting their assignments. Unknown to anyone, just near the exit, the door was partially ajar. There, Mileena took the opportunity to listen in on the meeting. She made sure to keep herself hidden in the dark so that no one saw her there.

However, one particular person didn't need to see that she was spying. This person only had to smell her blood. "What are you doing?"

Mileena turned her head quickly, surprised that anyone was even near her. Standing there was the tarkatan Baraka. He stared at her with no emotion with his eyes.

"It's nothing of importance," Mileena replied. "I was only curious about the new recruits. I'll be the first to admit that my father has bad taste, especially in the women he picked."

"You shouldn't be spying to begin with," Baraka reminded her. "You know the Emperor wouldn't be happy about that, especially when it comes to secrets." He then took her hand. "Then again, I shouldn't be speaking about secrets, considering the secret we share."

Baraka then brought Mileena's hand up, opened his mouth, and licked her hand. It was a tarkatan's way of expressing a kiss. Mileena sighed as she felt the warm saliva spreading on her hand. She took Baraka's other hand then.

"Someone may see us," Mileena mentioned. "…let's go somewhere more private. Something tells me things will be quiet tonight."

She didn't have to repeat herself twice. Still holding her now wet hand, Baraka let her away from the door and the two of them disappeared into the dark shadows.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Main Palace**

_Your match tomorrow in the Courtyard at 8am has been moved to another location. We cannot disclose the location in this card. However, we advise that you be at the main palace grounds at 7am tomorrow by the water fountain. Someone will meet you there and take you to the location._

_PS- Come alone, no exceptions._

The words from the index card repeated in Guy Hinato's mind as he waited by the fountain that stood in front of the main palace as directed. Although the directions had told him to arrive at seven in the morning, he came to this place fifteen minutes early.

What waited for him, he wasn't sure. He knew that it was a match, but why all the trouble? There had to be a catch to this, that was for sure or else why would they do this?

Rose had insisted on letting Raiden come with him, but the Bushin Ninja had declined. He felt that he should do this alone, just in case anything happened where they would only get in the way, or worse. They were his leaders here in Outworld and he didn't want them to go out of their way just for him. There were other things to worry about anyway.

He didn't bother to tell Cody or Maki about this either for the same reason, especially since he knew that they wouldn't listen to him and would just follow him to wherever he went.

Despite all that, there was only one thing that was bothering Guy... the vision he got of his deceased fiance, Rena last night while he was meditating.

 _Why now?_ he thought to himself. _There has to be a reason for this._

However, he would worry about that later. Right now, there was a mysterious match to deal with.

Soon, seven o'clock hit. Guy wondered how much longer it would be before his escort would arrive. However, right after the thought, he turned himself around and suddenly became face to face with a person wearing a brown cloak. Every part of the person was covered, include a large hood over their head, concealing even their eyes. He knew that whoever it was, it definitely wasn't a Shadow Priest since the figure walked normally rather than floated towards him.

"Are you Guy Hinato?" a male voice whispered.

Guy straightened himself up and nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"Just follow me." With that, the cloaked figure began walking off with Guy following not too far.

They walked off the palace grounds and into the forest. Along the way, Guy noted noticeable items (a fallen log, a large white flower, etc) so that when this was over, he could easily find his way back to the tournament grounds on his own if needed.

The walk seemed to take forever, though it was actually a forty minute walk, before they came to a clearing. Guy immediately noticed a palace-like building ahead. It was like the main palace, but smaller and it had a more gothic feel to it. The entire building was a dark purple and consisted of statues of unknown creatures.

Another five minutes passed before they reached the entrance. Guy found it peculiar that the guards were easily letting him in. Perhaps they knew about the tournament he was about to attend.

Guy continued to follow the cloaked figure as they went down the stoned spiral stairs with a lack of banister. This also seemed to go on for sometime before they finally reached the bottom. Guy saw the arena he was to fight in then. It was a large, dome-like room, the arena itself in a circular shape. It was much larger than any of the other arenas in the tournament.

The audience wasn't a very large one. They were a mix of different humans and species along with the guards who guarded every inch of the arena. There was also a throne and in that throne was the sorcerer Shang Tsung.

Shang Tsung stood up upon noticing Guy's entrance. "Good, you have arrived. Step into the arena and stand by my throne."

Guy said nothing as he followed orders. He then went to the throne and stopped a few feet as he kept his eye on the sorcerer without much emotion on his face. In moral respect, he bowed to the sorcerer, who followed after.

Shang Tsung explained everything then. "You were chosen at random to attend this match this morning here at the former palace of Shao Kahn." He then smirked. "However, I have seen your skills in the first round and I was quite impressed. I look forward to seeing more of your skills in this match."

Guy only nodded at the compliment. A part of him just wanted to get the match over with, but it would seem that the sorcerer only wanted to try to leave him in the dark for as long as possible.

However, he didn't have to be left longer in the dark as Shang Tsung raised a hand. "I would like you to meet you opponent." Then, he snapped his fingers.

Immediately, two guards opened two doors slowly. Guy heard a low growl as soon as the doors parted. He raised an eyebrow… he was now convinced that whoever his opponent was, it wasn't human.

Soon, the doors were wide enough for whatever it was to come in. However, Guy only saw two guards pulling on thick ropes. And once he saw what came out from behind them, he tried to keep his own brown eyes from going wide.

Shang Tsung smirked once again and spoke. "I would like you to meet… Berserk."

As though he was living up to his name, Berserk suddenly let out a loud, insane-like roar, nearly shaking the objects in the room. Guy only kept his foot planted on the ground he stood on. Shang Tsung was quite surprised that the Bushin Ninja didn't make any attempts to run away in that moment.

That in it's self was impressive to the sorcerer. It was indeed going to be a good match.

Berserk was soon released from his cage and in no time, he chased after Guy. Guy was already disgusted by the bluish pale-skinned monster, but that thought soon left him as he quickly got out of the way from the monster's madness.

The match had begun.

Meanwhile, a long window was placed above the entire room. There, Shao Kahn sat on his own throne, watching the event below him. Around him were two Shadow Priests and his new bodyguards Sagat and Vega. The two had recognized Guy from previous Street Fighter tournaments and were both curious to know what was going to happen.

Shao Kahn couldn't help but think of the words he had said to Berserk previously…

_I have come here to congratulate you. You have been very loyal to me and have been very cooperative. I want to reward you for that. I know you love the thrill of the fight… so as part of round two of the tournament, I would like for you to fight in a match… Shang Tsung will be picking the fighter, and you'll be facing them on the last day of round two._

After the thought, Shao Kahn did his best to withhold his sadistic laughter.

~~~

**Underground Lair**

Wearing a dark purple cloak, Rose showed up at the tournament in the underground lair. Since there weren't that many matches left to cover, all tournaments were either at the Courtyard or the Underground Lair. She had just left the Courtyard after the final match of the second round there. She was now heading to the Underground Lair, where the remaining matches would take place.

Rose's main reason for this was to find more possible fighters who can join in her and Raiden's cause. They haven't had much luck doing so, but Rose did hope for one thing… that she would at least find the 'lady in white,' the one she saw in her visions yesterday. She had a good feeling about her and if she could find her, she would be able to reach her goal.

When Rose arrived at the lair, she immediately heard fighting. Indeed a match was going on. She looked around to find a place where she can be able to see the match. She was then able to find a place to stand and went over there. Rose was now able to see the match that was going on… and suddenly notice a woman wearing white in the ring. Upon seeing the gasa on her head, she realized that this was the woman from her visions.

A name came to the psychic then. "Ashrah… so you're the one I was looking for…"

In the ring, Ashrah threw a punch at her opponent. Her opponent, a blonde male in heavy armor, was able to block the punch. Ashrah began to follow up with more punches and kicks, letting out battle cries during every other move, but once again her opponent would block.

Rose then looked over at the male opponent. Another name came to her. "Siegfried…"

The purple-haired woman sensed good within Siegfied… however, at the same time, there was such darkness in him that she wasn't able to tell which side of him was the true side. Unfortunately, he wasn't the right candidate. After that thought, Rose continued to quietly watch the match between Ashrah and Siegfried.

The two continued their hand-to-hand combat with Ashrah mostly on offense and Siegfried on defense. After a while of this, Ashrah extended her arms and shot out a white, sparkling projectile from her palms. Siegfried didn't see the move coming and was hit. He slid across the ground, but was still able to stay in the ring. He then recover quickly and managed to get himself back on his feet.

Siegfried ran back towards Ashrah and they fought hand-to-hand once again. This time, Siegfried was on offense and Ashrah was on defense. This lasted another minute before Siegfried pushed Ashrah as far away as he could. He looked down at his right hand with wide eyes as it began to slightly shake.

 _Not now!_ he called out in his mind.

Not knowing what was going on, Ashrah decided to take this opportunity to perform another one of her attacks. She raised her hand above her as the same projectile she used before shot out upward. It then maneuvered itself and began heading straight down towards Siegfried.

However, before the projectile made impact, Siegfried, out of his control, lifted his right hand up and quickly sent a shock wave around him. The projectile went off course and landed far off somewhere by the audience. Ashrah herself was knocked off her feet and flew back. She soon found herself outside of the ring before landing on the ground.

Afterwards, Siegfried was able to control himself again. He brought his arm down and looked at his hand once again as the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament announced him as the winner of the match.

 _I just don't understand this,_ he thought, not even acknowledging his win. Without anymore thought, he quickly left the arena.

Rose turned to Ashrah afterward and saw that she was already on her feet and leaving the arena. Once the former demon reached the exit, Rose adjusted the hood of her cloak and followed her.

~~~

**Cave Area**

Sitting by the unlit campfire alone, Julia Chang held a piece of paper in her hand. She reads the words on the letter over and over again, unsure of what else to do. This was the letter she received, only telling her to come to the tournament if she wanted to find out about her mother Michelle.

Julia sighed to herself. Nothing has even came up since coming to Outworld for this tournament. She was hoping that the person who wrote the letter would at least show up and tell her… or perhaps Michelle herself was here, but Julia didn't believe that was the case... though a part of her wanted it to be true.

Julia continued to stare at the letter when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She didn't bother to turn to see who it was, believing that it was just only someone passing by.

However, the footsteps soon stopped and the person spoke near her. "I haven't seen you around in a while."

Julia turned around then and was now face to face with Ryu, who brought himself down to sit next to her. The Arizona native couldn't help but smile a little. "I only saw you yesterday at dinner."

Ryu scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He noticed the letter then. "What do you have there?"

The smirk on Julia's face faded then and she looked back at it. "This paper is the reason why I'm here at the tournament. My mother disappeared two years ago when she went to travel to Japan. I've been looking for her ever since, but to no avail. This is my first lead in a long time. However, we've been here for fifteen days now and nothing has been coming up yet."

"Do you know who wrote the letter?" Ryu asked.

Julia shook her head. "That's the worst part. If only I knew, then I would've tried to meet up with them."

Ryu stretched his arms out as he yawned a little bit. "Well hopefully you'll be able to find out soon. If anything, let them find you. That may be your best option."

Julia nodded in agreement. "Thank you Ryu. You and Ken have been such good friends since I came here."

Ryu nodded with a small smirk.

As this was going on, Mika was just returning from training herself just near the edge of the forest. She was hungry and was about to head back in the cave to fetch some breakfast when she noticed Ryu and Julia by the campfire. She stopped for a moment out of curiosity. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy wash over her. She didn't know why, but it was the only feeling that came to her. Why would she worry though? Ryu was giving Mika just as much attention as he was giving to Julia.

Was he?

Deciding to forget about it, Mika quickly went back into the cave before they saw her.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Former Palace**

It was almost as soon as Guy moved out of the way that Berserk managed to grab him by the arm. Without much effort, Berserk tossed him to the side and Guy hit the ground hard. Sheer pain shot through his body almost immediately. Suddenly, he noticed Berserk's oversized bare foot coming down at him.

Guy quickly grabbed on to Berserk's foot. Using all of his strength, he tried to push the monster back, hoping to knock down the eight foot beast. At five foot nine, Guy had faced bigger fighters nearly all his life… but Berserk was as big as they came and he was most likely never going to fight someone like him again.

If he survives…

Then, Berserk lost his balance and stumbled back a bit, giving Guy the chance to roll out of the way and get back on his feet. Not hesitating any longer, Guy lunged himself at Berserk, landing a few punches in the process. Berserk would swing his big fist at Guy, who would dodge out of the way as much as he could. At some point, he was able to feel the large fists barely brushing on his skin.

This went on like this for another few minutes. Guy had hoped that if he worked on it, he would at least weaken Berserk. However, when he pulled himself back to look at the damage, there was little effect on Berserk.

It was time to take more measures.

" _Bushin Senpuukyaku!_ " Guy called out as he jumped forward. He then placed one leg out and spun himself around in rapid speed. He managed to get a few hits on Berserk and was able to daze him out, but that was all.

Guy got back down on the ground. There was a bit of a difference now, but not much. Berserk let out another roar and lunged himself forward again. Guy dodged out of the way, prepared for his next move.

" _Bushin Gourai Kyaku!_ " Guy dashed closer to Berserk and managed to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks and ended it with a flying kick. Berserk stumbled back, completely stunned by the move but still kept on his feet. Now Guy was getting somewhere.

However, before anything else happened, a booming voice shouted, " **STOP THIS MATCH!** " Everyone turned around and immediately were surprised upon seeing Outworld's own Emperor Shao Kahn approaching the ring. With the exception of Guy, Berserk, and Shang Tsung, everyone else in the room bowed to him.

Shao Kahn stared at Berserk then. He had the medallion in his hand, but he kept it hidden so that Guy didn't see the artifact. "You disappoint me, Berserk. You will never again fight in this tournament." He then looked up at the guards and ordered them to send him away. Quickly, they got Berserk in his cage using ropes they managed to tie around him. His loud roars were heard all throughout the room until the double doors leading out was closed.

No one dared to ask his reasons to stop the match just yet. They only kept silent and continued to bow to him. Shao Kahn then turned his head to Guy, who was sweating from his match. The Bushin Ninja figured that this was the Emperor Raiden had talked about. Now things were getting complicated and Guy wasn't sure what was about to happen next. Unless it threatened his safety, he was going to let the Emperor talk.

Shao Kahn spoke then. "You are one of the greater fighters in this tournament. I've seen the fear in the eyes of other fighters who faced the weakest of the tarkatans. However, you were able to hold your own and I saw no fear in you. You are one of a kind. This match is considered a draw… however, I grant you permission to continue to round three of the tournament."

Guy nodded, unsure of what to say. Rather yet, now that he thought about it, it was better not to say anything.

The Emperor snapped his fingers twice. The same cloaked figure who brought Guy here stood up and stepped forward. "Reptile, escort him out of here and return him to the palace grounds… that's an order."

"Yessss massster," the cloaked figure said. Guy hadn't noticed the hissing from him before, but it was no matter. He had to get back to Raiden to tell him about his discovery. Reptile, still hidden within the cloak, began walking out and once again Guy followed him.

Once they were gone, Shang Tsung stood up from his throne. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. "We were supposed to kill him after this was over!"

Shao Kahn glared at him in such a way that it made Shang Tsung sit back in his throne. However, the Emperor answered his question anyway. "Guy Hinato was his name, correct? What I said to him about being a great fighter is true. He has potential …potential to be in my army."

Shang Tsung got the idea then as a smirk came over his face. The match had ended because Shao Kahn wanted Guy in his army and he didn't want Berserk to end up killing him as originally instructed.

~~~

**Cave**

It was just past noon and Li Mei had just come back from having lunch in the palace. Since losing the tournament, she suddenly found herself bored. She wasn't interested in the matches that were going on today, especially considering that none of the people she got to know in this cave were attending either.

"I'm bored," Li Mei suddenly announced to no one in particular... not that anyone was around to hear it at the moment.

She paced back and forth in the cave. It was mostly quiet with the exception of feet rustling about in their rooms. Li Mei then decided to talk to the first person who came out of their room, no matter who it was.

Li Mei only had to wait a minute before a curtain pulled over and Ibuki stepped out. Her mask was pulled down to her neck and she was enjoying a potato which was half eaten. She wasn't really looking around when she suddenly bumped into someone. Ibuki looked up and noticed Li Mei staring at her.

“Hi Li Mei,” Ibuki greeted before she took another bite of her snack.

"I'm bored Ibuki," Li Mei said. "What do you think I should do?"

Ibuki swallowed her food. "Gee, I don't know," she said politely. She began thinking for a minute before two ideas came to her. "Well, you can do two things… you could either go out and do some training or go pick some berries. I think Rose wanted to do that tomorrow before round three begins."

Li Mei placed a finger on her own chin. "Well, there's no use in training right now since I lost the tournament… so I'll go pick some berries." She then stared at Ibuki. "Want to come with me?"

Ibuki waved her free hand. "I'm sorry Li Mei. I have to do some other things."

"Please?"

Ibuki began to feel bad then. She had seen Li Mei around the cave and realized that she didn't have that many companions as far as she knew. Just this once, she'll push her other plans back.

"Well all right. Let's not be too long."

"Thanks Ibuki! I'll go get the baskets, then we'll pick so many berries that we don't even have to go berry picking tomorrow, even though it's fun but sometimes it's could get a little boring…"

Li Mei continued to talk as she and Ibuki went to back to retrieve the baskets. Then they left the cave and headed into the forest.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

In a hallway, Ivy Valentine had just exited her sleeping quarters and was heading down to get something to eat. She would normally get to Tanya fetch her food, but today, Shao Kahn had sent her to look after the dungeons.

Though Ivy has been down in the dungeons a few times only to overlook things briefly, she couldn't understand the point of it. Sure, it was a way to shut up those who suspected the Emperor's plans, but there seemed to be prisoners who were there for no reason. Not that she herself didn't enjoy the thrill of torturing others when they deserve it, but at least she had a reason for it... torturing just for random fun was not her style.

Ivy was just beginning to head down the stairs when she noticed Shao Kahn standing at the very last step. Shao Kahn has been pleased with her loyalty to him so it was no longer required for her to bow to him.

"You're back," Ivy asked, well aware that he had been at a private tournament. She slowly began going down the stairs.

Shao Kahn stood in his place as he spoke. "Berserk is a good torturer, but he's not that great of a fighter."

"I thought he loved the thrill of the fight."

"Obviously that was a lie I was told. I'll be taking care of the one who informed me of that later."

As Ivy walked down the stairs, Shao Kahn couldn't help but stare at her form. She was taller than most human women, her clothes hugging her fit and curvy figure. Her short platinum hair covered half of her face, only showing one eye, which was a deep blue.

 _Such beauty is rare in a woman,_ the Emperor thought to himself.

He then spoke up. "I have an assignment for you."

Ivy smirked as she stood a few steps away now, almost matching Shao Kahn's height. "About time. I was aching for some fun."

"Well it's not much of one, but it'll do for now," the Emperor continued. "Your job is to recruit more people to the army."

Ivy nearly raised an eyebrow. He definitely had a thing for recruiting more people into the forces. She wanted to ask why he needed more people when he had plenty, but instead she bit her tongue in fear of his rage... not that she's been on the receiving end yet, but she didn't want to try to start either.

"At least find one person," Shao Kahn suggested. "Then you can continue with your normal duties."

A thought came to Ivy then. She thought back on her encounter with Heihachi Mishima a few days ago. She was originally there to check out activities in the main palace when they met up. During their confrontation, he had grabbed her and kissed her violently as a way to get to her. She could still feel the sour taste of his lips on hers and it made her nose twitch in disgust.

She then looked back at Shao Kahn, a side smirk appearing on her face. "It seems that my assignment is already over. I have someone in mind."

Shao Kahn nodded. "Go on."

A gleam seemed to go over Ivy's eyes. "In the main palace, there's a peculiar fighter named Heihachi…"

~~~

**Forest Area**

Rose was still following Ashrah, who was possibly heading back to the main palace. She was still wearing her cloak, but she had pulled the hood back, revealing her head. Her normally wild purple hair was actually much calmer and in ringlets. It was one of her disguises that she used to navigate in places she shouldn't be at.

The psychic had been trying to find the right time to confront her, but there had been too many people around previously. She couldn't risk inviting Ashrah to the cave and having other people know about it, especially on the off chance that a member of Shao Kahn's minions were near.

Once they were in the forest, Rose realized that this was the perfect moment. She couldn't sense anyone else around her so it was now or never.

However, before she could make her move, she suddenly found herself being knocked down by another person. Rose yelped out in surprise as she was pushed to the ground. She felt the person still on her and she looked up.

Rose was surprised that the person on top of her was Ashrah herself, the person she was seeking out! Not only that, but in her right hand, Ashrah was hold a knife!

"Die demon!" Ashrah called out. Before she should bring the knife down, Rose managed to knee Ashrah in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Rose then pushed her off of her, rolled back, the got on her feet. She then ripped off her cloak, revealing purple dress, black stockings, and high heels. A yellow scarf wrapped around her shoulders and lingered past her arms.

Rose quickly grabbed her scarf as Ashrah attempted to approach her again with the knife raised. The psychic threw one end of her scarf forward, the fabric quickly extending out. It wrapped itself around Ashrah a few times before Rose pulled her towards her.

Ashrah struggled to get out of the hold. "Let me go you demon!"

Rose wasn't sure why she was calling her a demon. The only conclusion she could come up with was her past with the dark arts. It was a story to be explained in another date.

"You may call me a witch, but I'm no demon," Rose said.

"Why were you following me?" Ashrah demanded harshly.

"Because I need your help," Rose proceeded. "You possess a pure heart and soul. No one is perfect, but as a long as they possess that, it doesn't matter."

Ashrah began to calm down a little when Rose mentioned 'pure.' As a demon, it was what Ashrah had always wanted. To hear that from someone, even by someone with a dark essence inside of her, it touched her emotionally, though she tried not to show that in front of this stranger.

"My name is Rose, and you must be Ashrah," Rose said. Ashrah was surprised to know that Rose knew her name.

Then, unexpectedly, Rose had a quick vision. A shadowed figure appeared before her. The only other color on this figure was a pair of white that indicated eyes. Then, just as fast, the vision was gone.

Rose looked at Ashrah. "Do you know of a shadowed figure dressed all in black with glowing white eyes?"

Ashrah stared at her as only one name came to her. She slowly nodded. "His name is Noob Saibot and he's a wraith from the Netherrealm. I was once a demon there until I managed to free myself with a purified weapon. However, Noob is now in possession of it and has tainted it with evil."

Rose nodded after hearing her story. She then released Ashrah from the scarf's grip. The white clad woman stumbled a bit before regaining her balance.

"Our mission is to stop a possible threat to the realms. Chishio No Me is more than you think. If you help us, we'll help you with your cause."

Ashrah stood there for a moment. Despite the dark energy within Rose, she found herself wanting to trust her. She seemed like a reasonable woman, though she was going to stay on her toes in case she was wrong about her.

"Tell me more," Ashrah asked.

Rose nodded. "This is not a good place. There is a cave south of here just by the beach hidden behind some trees. Meet me there tomorrow morning."

Ashrah nodded. "I shall."

~~~

**Other End of the Forest**

Ibuki and Li Mei continued to pick berries. The bushes they would normally go to seemed to lack the delicious fruits, mainly because they had been picked so much. The two of them grabbed whatever was left and placed them in the baskets before continuing to walk along the path.

Ibuki found herself enjoying Li Mei's company and wondered why she hadn't taken the time to get to know her to begin with.

"So you're from here?" Ibuki asked.

Li Mei nodded. "Yeah, but I don't like it here. There's just too much war and chaos here and I never liked it. My parents passed away trying to rebel against our oppressors when I was a child and I've been living with my grandfather and brother ever since. I was hoping that one day I could go to Earthrealm and live there for the rest of my life. That's my dream… what are your dreams?"

Ibuki had to smile at that. "Well, after the summer, I'm going to be going Tokyo to attend my first year in college. I wanted to go two years ago when I was eighteen, but my ninjitsu training just took too much time. I'll finally be relieved from my duty after this tournament. I've always wanted to be just a normal student without worrying about my clan."

"That sounds really nice," Li Mei said. "So college is like a school, right? We don't have that here."

Ibuki nodded. They then reached a fork in the path going in two different directions. Li Mei had an idea then. "Say, let's split up for a bit. That way we can get more berries faster."

"Well," Ibuki said. "We shouldn't separate, but I'm sure a few minutes won't be too bad."

"All right," Li Mei said as she went right, whistling as she did. Ibuki stood there for a moment, looking down at her path on the left before she began walking along it.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

After being relieved from his duties for the day, Sagat decided to take a walk to get to know the area he was now staying at better. Today had indeed been a long day, especially with the secret tournament he had attended, which he personally considered a waste of time. He had thought the match was going fine until Shao Kahn decided to stop it for his own personal gains.

Things could be worse though, he supposed. At least Shao Kahn was giving him what he wanted, unlike his old master Bison. Sagat had done everything for him, but he had never been given his main request… to face his old foe Ryu in an honorable match. Ryu having left a scar on his chest so long ago in the first World Warriors Tournament so many years ago. He hadn't requested this wish to Shao Kahn yet. He didn't think it was wise to ask for the opportunity so soon after his recruitment.

Sagat then stopped walking and looked up at the sky. He wondered if getting closer to the medallion through recruitment was even worth it at all. He never even thought about having the medallion, but the only reason he accepted Shang Tsung's offer to join the Emperor's army was because he merely wanted his long-time wish. If he could prove that he was worthy, perhaps he could finally have it granted.

It was then that his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Sagat quickly whiled around and was slightly surprised to see Adon standing before him. The cocky grin that was normally on his face was nowhere to be seen. Bandages covered one side of his face as a result from his defeated match against Havik.

When he noticed Sagat staring at his bandages, Adon clenched his teeth in frustration. "Don't even say it! You're going to say that vengeance is not the worth it! Don't even dare speak about vengeance when you seek it as well! Just stay out of it!"

Sagat decided not to say anything. It was ironic though… Adon was now following the same path that he had once walked. Though he had to admit, the scars on younger fighter's face was indeed worse than on the chest. It didn't matter though, Adon was quite the ugly one to begin with, he thought.

Adon continued then. "I was offered to join an army and I gladly accepted. This is definitely my way of proving that I AM, and always will BE, Muay Thai _God!_ So stay out of this!" With that, Adon passed Sagat.

Sagat raised an eyebrow afterward. He was suspicious of Adon's recruitment. Not only that, but he figured out why Adon accepted… because it was a good way to get closer to Havik, the cause of his new scars.

Despite their current grudge against each other, Sagat decided to keep an eye out on Adon.

~~~

**Forest**

Ibuki continued to walk through the forest in hopes of finding more berry bushes, but to no avail. Maybe there aren't any more, she thought. She wondered if Li Mei was having better luck. The young ninja girl decided to go on a bit further before heading over to Li Mei's path.

A few minutes later, Ibuki suddenly heard a moan somewhere. She stopped in her tracks to listen again. She heard the moan again but much more clearly this time. Ibuki followed the noise.

"Hello?" she called out.

That's when she heard a faint call for help. Ibuki dropped her basket and ran over to the noise. She soon reached a young woman who seemed not much older than she was, battered and bruised, possibly from a previous fight, or worse... Tears stained the woman's face and she seemed to have fear in her gold eyes.

Ibuki quickly bent down to her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

The woman looked over at Ibuki. "I, I don't know… the, there were so many of them…"

Ibuki hushed her a bit in order to calm her down. "I don't have any medical supplies, but the palace is not too far from here and I can get you help."

The woman took a deep breath. "Th… there's something I need…"

"What is it?" Ibuki asked.

The fear suddenly seemed to disappear from the woman's eyes. Ibuki nearly felt good, feeling that she had calmed the woman's fears. However, the fear in her eyes was suddenly replaced by a sadistic grin. Her sweet voice suddenly changed into a deep, demonic one as she spoke these chilling words;

"I need your _**soul!**_ "

Upon hearing that, Ibuki attempted to get herself back up, realizing that the woman was not who she seemed. However, the woman had quickly sat up and managed to grab a hold of Ibuki's throat. Ibuki struggled to fight back, but it was to no avail. The woman was too strong for her.

The woman's eyes glowed green, the sadistic grin still upon her face. She then freed one of her hands from her grip and raised it above Ibuki's head...

Meanwhile, Li Mei had just entered Ibuki's original path because she too wasn't able to find berries. She expected Ibuki to be walking by. However, upon seeing the horrifying sight of her friend being choked by a female stranger, Li Mei dropped her basket, the berries pouring out and spreading in different directions on the ground.

Li Mei was about to call out Ibuki's name before running over to try to save her. However, even if she did, it was long too late. A green mist was sucked out of Ibuki and transferred into the woman's hand. Immediately after, Ibuki's body went limp and her once peachy skin turned a pale blue almost immediately. Then, the woman dropped her body as though she was nothing but a rag doll.

Tears fell from her eyes as Li Mei sprinted out of there in fear of the woman seeing her. She tried her best not to scream as she quickly headed back towards the cave.

~~~

**Cave Area**

A dark feeling came over Raiden as he was walking past the edge of the forest. He had just finished speaking with Guy, who had informed him of what happened in Shao Kahn's former palace. It was odd since Raiden had already checked out the place previously before the tournament and found nothing. However, he realized that it was a good way to throw him off, plus it was his and Rose's first lead in their mission. He thanked Guy and sent him off so that he could rest.

The trees began to sway more than usual as the dark feeling continued to pass over. A serious look came upon the Thunder God's face.

 _Something has happened,_ he thought.

It was then that he noticed Li Mei running out of the woods. He was curious why she was, possibly running from Outworld wart hogs, he guessed at first. However, upon seeing the tears on her face, Raiden knew that whatever dark feeling he was feeling, it had something to do with whatever the Outworld native was running from.

Li Mei felt so much relief and cried even more upon seeing Raiden, his dark blue cape swaying in the wind that suddenly came. "RAIDEN!" she cried out. Once she reached him, she threw her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Li Mei," Raiden said calmly. "What happened?"

It took a moment for Li Mei to find the ability to speak. "Ibuki… she's… she's…"

She didn't have to say no more. Raiden placed his arms around Li Mei and he let her sob into his chest for as long as she needed. A grim look appeared on his face. He and Rose had tried so hard to protect their chosen ones from bad situations like this… but now, death had befallen on one of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Ibuki's fans... I'm sorry. :\


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

_The Next Morning..._

For the past twenty hours, Rose realized that things didn't seem right around the cave area. She had sensed a dark energy around her just past lunch time yesterday. With the exception of the swordsman Kenshi (despite being blind, his other keen senses were heightened and he is also able to sense things like that), no one else noticed the change in the environment and went about their own business.

She did notice, however, that the group consisting of Mika, Maki, Asuka, Cassandra, and Sakura came up to her twice during the late evening asking for Ibuki's whereabouts. They had not seen her since that late morning when they decided to go to the hot springs. Ibuki had declined to go then. Rose assured them that Ibuki should return soon despite not knowing where she was at the moment. However, Rose began to worry herself. With a mix of the dark energy and Ibuki's missing presence, she knew something had happened, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Even when she went to her crystal ball, it was like something was blocking her from discovering anything.

Speaking of being missing, she realized how quiet it was in the cave. Not long after noticing, she realized that Raiden had been missing since past noon. He had told her earlier this morning that he was going to find new recruits for the group.

 _How could it take him that long for him to find new recruits?_ the fortune teller thought to herself.

It was just after the crack of dawn, after Rose entered the lodge to begin making herself breakfast, that Raiden finally showed up, electricity surrounding his body as he teleported himself in. Rose turned herself around to face him. She was about to ask where in the world he had been this whole time. However, upon seeing the grim look on his face, Rose's heart sank. She felt stupid for not figuring it out before. The dark energy… Ibuki's disappearance… it all made sense now.

Before Raiden could speak, Rose spoke for him. "Ibuki's dead, isn't she?"

Raiden slowly nodded. "Yes… poor Li Mei witnessed her death. She's in her room now resting..." He sighed a bit before proceeding. "I buried her not too far from here during the evening. I then proceeded to look for new recruits, but I just couldn't do it. Not right after what happened to Ibuki. I've been at the beach the whole time thinking. When we recruited our chosen ones, I had hoped that death would've never befallen on any of them… but I was wrong."

Rose nodded as she understood. "How did it happen?"

Raiden sighed once again. "From what I've gathered, her soul was taken. Li Mei had said to me that a woman performed the terrible deed. However, despite that, I have no doubt that Shang Tsung was behind this. He is known to shapeshift himself into anyone he comes into contact with. However, at this point of the tournament, we cannot confront him, not yet, not until the tournament is over, not until we have proof that he was actually behind it. For one, it would blow our cover and halt the tournament. With _Chishio No Me_ in their possession, they could use it against us. Avenging Ibuki's death will have to wait until the tournament is over. In the meantime, we are not to speak of the details to anyone here. This is for their protection."

Rose nodded, completely understanding the situation.

It was then that footsteps were heard, making Rose and Raiden turn to face the person. Rose recognized Ashrah as she took another foot in to the room.

"Um, Raiden," Rose said quickly before he said anything. "This is Ashrah, I recruited her yesterday… before I knew about Ibuki…"

Raiden nodded. He sensed Ashrah's pure heart and soul and knew she was a good choice. However, though Ashrah didn't know it, this turned out to be a bad time.

"Ashrah," Rose spoke. "I hate to do this to you, but you'll have to come back here later this evening. We have to take care of a personal matter at this time."

Ashrah nodded. "I understand. I will meet with you this evening." With that, she left the lounge.

Raiden sighed. "I'll inform everyone of Ibuki's death in an hour or so."

"I'll help you," Rose offered.

The Thunder God nodded in appreciation. "Thank you."

Though both of them didn't think about it until later, this was the first time that they managed to talk to each other without arguing. However, they both wished that it would've happened under better circumstances...

~~~

About two hours later, Raiden and Rose gathered everyone in the cave around the lit campfire, only telling them that 'it was very important.' No one was sure what the meeting was going to be about, though Maki, Mika, Cassandra, Sakura, and Asuka had an idea of what it was. They feared that it concerned Ibuki.

Once everyone was there, Raiden was straight about the situation, telling them that Ibuki had passed away. Immediately, her five friends were in tears, hugging and comforting each other as their worst fears were confirmed. Some had grim looks on their faces while others were shocked. Some of the other girls in the group let a few tears slid down their faces as their male comrades comforted them.

They held a moment of silence, which was suggested by Guile, before Raiden offered everyone to pay their last respects at Ibuki's grave. Once Raiden and Rose began leading the way, they were surprised to see that everyone, even those who kept to themselves, were following them.

The walk was about ten minutes before they reached a spot that had loose soil and a large boulder over it. The boulder had Ibuki's name engraved on it, which Raiden had done himself.

One by one, each chosen one paid their respects, each one leaving Outworld wildflowers on her grave. Some got on their knees and prayed. Some talked to Ibuki for a couple of minutes. Some simply stood there and stayed silent before placing the flowers down and walking away.

Maki, Mika, Cassandra, Sakura, and Asuka waited until everyone had their turn. All five them then approached the grave, each one holding a handful of wildflowers in their hands. Those to stayed behind watched silently as the girls got on their knees, the endless tears streaming down from their eyes. They held hands as they placed the flowers with the others. They stayed silent as they continued to cry, though Mika managed to utter a few words;

"We wish we were there to protect you…"

Unknown to anyone nearby, the Netherrealm wraith Noob Saibot happened to have passed by the area where the chosen ones were paying their last respects for Ibuki. He hid himself in the shadows of the trees and watched the scene in front of him. It was obvious that someone had died. As the heartless wraith that he was, he showed no remorse for the situation.

Perhaps maybe back when he was still human, he would have…

The only reason he was in this area at the moment was to spy on the activities of the other tournament participants. He considered the main palace itself to be too dense, thus there was a good chance that he would be caught easily. So he decided to spy outside the palace grounds. This was the first time that he noticed these group of people.

Amongst the group, he noticed the Thunder God, Raiden, which surprised him. He was the last person the wraith expected to see in Outworld. At this point, there was obviously a plan amongst this group if Raiden himself was here. Why else would he be?

The group in front of him seemed be a bit close knit as far as he could tell. Were they from the palace as well? Or were they staying somewhere else?

Meanwhile, back in the group, the cyborg Matrik stood where she was as a few words were said about the young girl who died in the forest yesterday. It was then that she saw something move from the corner of her eye from within the forest. Turning her head slowly, she activated a heat emission through her lenses, and it didn't take long to spot something that emitted a high temperature. There was no doubt in her mind that it was a person... or something else.

 _Someone is spying on us,_ she thought suddenly.

Using her technology, Matrik used a scanner to shape out the figure from within the woods. However, by the time the heat emission was taking form, it was too late. Briefly, she saw a smokey mist burst from behind one of the trees, followed by a shadow being seen against another tree nearby. Matrik continued to scan just in case. For a moment, she had it in mind to go after whatever was there, but considering yesterday's incident as well as the memorial she was standing at now, the last thing the cyborg wanted to do was make the others worry even more than they are now.

Either way, whoever had been hiding behind the tree was now gone. Matrik decided then that she would keep an eye out on any activities surrounding the cave grounds. The last thing the group needed right now was more tragedy...

~~~

**Later That Evening**

Sitting around the campfire, Maki, Mika, Cassandra, Sakura, and Asuka stared at the fire. The tears were long gone, but the grim look on the faces remained. For some time, they remained silent, not bothering to say a word to each other.

Eventually, Maki sighed and spoke. "I didn't know her for that long… but she was such a sweet person. Why did she have to die?"

It was a question no one could really answer, though Mika replied, "I wish I knew who was responsible for this. If I ever find out, they'll get it in the end, that's for sure."

Asuka raised her head then. "Remember when we were first heading over here when we all suddenly got transported to the lower levels of the ship? Poor Ibuki was just getting her pajamas on when that happened and she was only in her bra and underwear."

Aside from Cassandra, the girls couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "She did get a good laugh later on," said Sakura. "She said it felt like something out of a TV show."

"Yeah," the girls said before falling silent again. It did feel a bit good to talk about the good times, but nothing could escape them from what happened.

"For now on, we stick together," declared Sakura. "I don't want anything like that to happen to any of you. If we're by ourselves, we're not to leave the cave area until one of us is around. We're doing this for Ibuki, she would've wanted this."

"Agreed," answered Maki. The other three girls nodded as well, agreeing to the new deal in their friendship.

It was then that Xianghua showed up. She had just returned from the palace after dinner with Kilik and Maxi and was just heading towards the cave. She also had a large bottle of Outworld liquor in her hands for a later time.

"Hey there," Xianghua said to the girls.

"Hey," the girls said. Xianghua then noticed that all five of them were staring at the large bottle. Xianghua stopped herself, wondering if she should give some to them. Then again, today was rough on them…

Xianghua sighed to herself. "Well all right." She sat down on a log, then she popped the bottle open. "Not too much though." She then took a swig before passing it to Maki, who followed. The other girls did the same.

As they began to relax a bit, Xianghua began to wonder if she was going to regret her decision later…

~~~

**Main Palace**

It was the last hour of dinner at the main palace's dining quarters. Queen Sindel showed up at the hall to get herself some dinner. Princess Kitana and Jade were taking care of a few things and promised to meet Sindel there soon. Sindel trusted their word and headed off to get something to eat. She was definitely starving.

After collecting some food on her place, Sindel began looking for a table. She wanted to sit at a place where it was quiet and a bit secluded so that when the other two arrived, they would have more privacy. However, upon spotting the Keisei knight Siegfried, Sindel immediately changed her mind. She hadn't seen him in some time and decided to head over to where he said.

"Good evening Siegfried," the Queen of Edenia said. "Do you mind having some company?"

Siegfried looked up from his food, a bit surprised to see Sindel there. "Not at all, my Queen."

Sindel smiled and sat down in front of him. "And why is it that I find you sitting here all by yourself?"

Siegfried shrugged a little. "Well, you, your daughter, and Jade are the only ones I know here, really."

Sindel nodded. "I haven't seen you around in a while."

"I've been around. However, I did win a match yesterday and will be moving on to round three."

"Congratulations," Sindel mentioned. "My daughter, Jade, and I have also moved on to the next round."

"Congratulations to all three of you," Siegfried replied. "And thank you."

The two fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to talk about. Both of them took a few bits from their food before Sindel thought up another conversation starter.

"You seem like a lonely person. You are more than welcome to come visit us anytime you like."

Siegfried was a bit taken aback by the offer. He never expected a Queen of a realm to offer such a thing. "I thank you for the offer," he said. "In your position, it doesn't seem right for me to accept such an offer from a Queen."

"Nonsense," Sindel replied with a wave of a hand. "I am just as capable of doing things as any other citizen. It's not like there's a strict code when it comes to how to behave when you are Queen."

Siegfried nodded in agreement. "Thank you for your hospitality, though it is not necessary."

Sindel smiled more then. "I'm sure my daughter Kitana would love to see you again."

Siegfried was a bit surprised that Sindel brought up her own daughter. He did admit, however, that Sindel seemed a bit forward since she came to sit with him. "I'm sure she will," he only said.

As the conversation continued, Kitana and Jade showed up at the main palace. Only Jade noticed Sindel sitting with Siegfried as they continued talking. Sindel herself seemed to be a bit happy, which made Jade raise an eyebrow.

_What is going on with the Queen? _she thought curiously. _It wouldn't surprise me if she was trying to play matchmaker between Kitana and Siegfried...___

__~~~_ _

__**Main Palace Hot Springs** _ _

__Heihachi Mishima sat in the large bath tub of the hot springs, only wearing his black speedo. It was his lucky day once again because only he was in the bathhouse. However, a couple of people did try to come in earlier, but upon seeing Heihachi, they immediately left. It was exactly how the Mishima Zaibatsu leader wanted it._ _

__Aside from that, nothing exciting has been really happening in and around the main palace for him, not since he made it to round three as also his encounter with Ivy Valentine. He smirked to himself as he thought about the kiss he gave her. He definitely got a kick out of seeing the look on her face and her initial reaction once he pulled back. What else could a bored man do?_ _

__He knew, however, that his grandson Jin Kazama was also in the tournament. He only spotted him once when Jin won his match against some guy with tall blond hair that reminded Heihachi of Paul Phoenix, who was a participant in his previous King of Iron Fists Tournaments. He had been sitting in the back so Jin never spotted him. As much as Heihachi would have loved to approach Jin at that very moment, he held back. He wanted to wait for the right opportunity before approaching his grandson._ _

__Jin was the main reason Heihachi was here. He lusted for the powers Jin possessed, the powers he had no control over. Heihachi wanted the powers to benefit the Mishima Zaibatsu. He wanted the world to fear him. Plus, if he won the tournament, it nearly counted as an extra bonus._ _

__Heihachi then picked up a margarita, which sat next to him. "The right time will come eventually," he said. "I see Jin going far in the tournament. If he loses, I'll approach him then."_ _

__Actually, Heihachi did hope that Jin would lose. If he won, that would mean that Jin would be in possession of Chishio No Me. Who knows what Jin would do with it then._ _

__Heihachi was about to take a sip of his beverage when a weapon suddenly hit the glass, smashing it into pieces and causing the fresh drink to spill on Heihachi's hand. The old man didn't jump at the surprise attack. As a matter of fact, he almost always expected this, even in a place where rarely anyone knew him._ _

__He stood up them, still in the tub, and turned himself around to face his would be opponent. Now he became surprised upon looking at the creature in front of him. If it wasn't for the small blades coming out of his body and the teeth outside of his mouth, he would just look like a normal human._ _

__Heihachi got into a fighting stance. "You wasted a perfectly good drink. Let's get this over with."_ _

__The mutant seemed to smile, though that's what it looked like previously. "Baraka will kill you!" he said. Baraka then lashed his arms out, his two long blades coming out of each arm._ _

__"Hmph," Heihachi said, slightly impressed by the weapons. "This will be interesting."_ _

__With that, Heihachi and Baraka charged after each other._ _

__~~~_ _

__**Main Palace, Fourth Floor** _ _

__In his room, Adon looked at himself in the mirror in his bathroom. He brushed his fingers lightly over the right side of his face. The scars he received have recovered, but they were only going to recover as far as a handful of red dots at this point._ _

__It was such an ironic thing. Ever since his former master Sagat received the scar on his chest, Adon looked down on him, believing that because of Sagat's loss to Ryu that he dishonored all in the name of Muay Thai. He knew that the scar would always remind Sagat of that loss. From there, Adon claimed himself as Muay Thai God, believing that he will someday surpass what Sagat once was._ _

__Now this had happened. Adon came to this tournament to prove that he was indeed Muay Thai God, only to end up following the same path as his former master did. And just like Sagat, the scars on his face will always remind of him of his loss… the loss of his dignity, sense of honor, and the fact that his own words to Sagat came back to him._ _

__Adon figured that Havik was a member of Shao Kahn's developing army, which he believed was a rumor at first. However, upon asking a guard about it, he told him to go deep in the woods and he would find an abandon palace. There, he was sent to the main palace where Shao Kahn stayed._ _

__On the way, he encountered Sagat, who joined the same army. Adon told him to stay out of his situation and walked off. He didn't want Sagat to remind him of the scars he now had upon his face._ _

__Adon passed his tests and was recruited as a guard. He later learned that his hunch was right… Havik was there. However, since he was a guard and Havik was in a higher rank, Adon wasn't allowed to approach him, not until he reached a higher rank, whenever that was._ _

__Upon thinking about Havik again, he thought about their match. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would never forget the moment when the morning star was shoved into his face._ _

__Anger quickly filled within Adon. Without thinking about it, he punched at the mirror, shattering it into countless pieces as they fell on the sink and floor. Adon's fist began to bleed immediately, but he didn't care, not one bit._ _

__He growled and declared, "I _ **WILL**_ have my revenge!"_ _

__~~~_ _

__**Cave Area** _ _

__After some training, Kilik and Maxi began their return to the cave. They had been training at the beach area. Normally they would train in the forest, but after hearing of Ibuki's death, they changed their locations. That way, if any intruders came, they would easily spot them._ _

__They trained to clear their minds from today's events. It had indeed been a grim day. Losing one of the chosen ones in the cave was one of the last things anyone expected, especially this early in the tournament._ _

__As they walked back, Maxi spoke. "We were definitely sloppy today."_ _

__Kilik nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I just can't stop thinking about what happened to Ibuki. I didn't know her that well, but to know that she died the way she did… it's so unexpected. When I came here, I didn't expect anyone to die. Maybe from a major injury in the tournament, but not like this."_ _

__Maxi sighed. "Unfortunately Kilik, with so many different types of people here, it was bound to happen to anyone. The person who killed Ibuki was one sick asshole and I hope he or she gets killed a thousand times over. I haven't felt like this since my crew was killed by Astaroth. Losing my friends, my brother, my parents from illness beforehand… death is a horrible thing to experience. I can't imagine how her friends are feeling right now. Worse, if she has family at home…"_ _

__Kilik couldn't agree more. He had his share in death as well, but in such a different way that not even Maxi and Xianghua knew about it. He thought of his surrogate sister Xianglian, who lived with him at the Ling Sheng Su temple when he was a teenager. She had given him his staff as a gift, which was named Kali Yuga._ _

__One night, an unknown plague possessed everyone in the temple and it caused everyone to go in an out of control frenzy, a murderous one at that. Kilik was the strongest fighter in the temple, thus he was the sole survivor. He had killed a few of his comrades including Xianglian with the weapon she had given him a few nights before. Although he was assured that it wasn't his fault, since he couldn't control the plague, he still, to this day, couldn't help but blame himself for what happened. As far as he knew, the temple still stands, but now in ruins._ _

__He was surprised when Raiden and Rose declared that he had a pure heart and soul and was worthy enough to stay with them as one of their chosen ones. He still felt like he possessed the blood on his hands from that night, but somehow, Raiden and Rose looked passed it._ _

__Kilik shook the thought from his head and looked over at Maxi. "So, round three starts tomorrow."_ _

__Maxi nodded. "I look forward to it. My last opponent was tough, but I was able to handle it."_ _

__"Eh… you said he was nothing when you fought him."_ _

__Maxi bit his tongue. So he told a little white lie to his friends earlier. "Eh, keep that between you and me."_ _

__It was then that Hwang and Mi-na approached them. Kilik and Maxi saw a slight worry on this faces and became concerned. "What's going on?" Maxi asked._ _

__"You have to see what Xianghua and the girls are up to," said Hwang._ _

__"Follow us," Mi-na said. She and Hwang began walking back with Kilik and Maxi following them._ _

__They soon reached the campfire. The fire was long out and Xianghua, Maki, Mika, Cassandra, Sakura, and Asuka were all passed out. In Asuka's hand was a large bottle of Outworld liquor, which was half empty._ _

__Kilik sighed. "It was definitely a long day for them."_ _

__"I thought I told Xianghua to save that," said Maxi as he picked up the bottle and set it to stand._ _

__"We should put them to bed," suggested Hwang._ _

__"We'll help you," said Maxi._ _

__And so all four of them began carrying the girls back to their rooms._ _

__~~~_ _

__**Main Palace, Hot Springs** _ _

__The fight between Heihachi and Baraka continued on. Because of Baraka's long blades, Heihachi found himself mostly dodging from his attacks. He then performed his attacks whenever he got the chance to. The wet floor caused both combatants to slip a few times, though they would always regain their balance. Objects in the room were either knocked over or broken in their path._ _

__Heihachi didn't understand why this mutant was attacking him. What was his purpose exactly? He never saw him before in his life._ _

__The fight continued for some time as they maneuvered around the indoor hot springs. At one point, two people, who were looking forward to taking a bath in the springs, saw the fight going on and looked with interest. However, upon being noticed by both fighters, they realized that it was best to stay out of it and ran off._ _

__Then, Baraka shot out a blue projectile at Heihachi. The old man ducked from the projectile. He then bent both of his knees and performed a powerful punch, briefly sending red electricity out of his arm and into Baraka. Baraka backed away quickly as Heihachi stayed in his position, ready for more._ _

__However, Baraka slowly straightened himself and his blades went back into his arms. Heihachi kept his place, unsure of what was to happen next…though he began to believe that this fight was over._ _

__"This is good enough," Baraka said. "I never planned to kill you… I was only testing your strength and skills." With that, the tarkatan jumped out of the window that was open._ _

__Heihachi got out of his stance. "That was a pathetic end," he said. "I saw potential in him, but I was wrong. He was nothing more than a mutant punk with a death wish."_ _

__He then grabbed the only dry towel in the springs and left, leaving the mess that was left by the fight. Unknown to Heihachi, Baraka had fought him to test Heihachi… then report it to Shao Kahn as directed…_ _


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Forest**

Today, round three of The Blood Tournament began. Especially for those fighting today, many of the warriors who were still in the tournament trained themselves in order to prepare for their future matches. As normal, all the fighters hoped to move on to round four in order to get closer to the grand prize - _Chishio No Me_ , or better known as The Bloody Eye medallion.

It was around nine in the morning when Matrik decided to train herself in the middle of the forest, isolating herself from everyone else. Although Raiden and Rose had advised those staying in the cave to stay close to the cave grounds, the cyborg made the decision to come here alone anyway. Whenever she trained, she preferred the isolation.

At one point, Matrik thought about the tournament, wondering if she would actually emerge the victor. There were many strong warriors, that she can see, but in a way, she hoped to win in order to get her hands on the medallion. She figured that it would be a good way to not only free herself from the shackles of the technology that coursed through her body, but to get her memories back as well.

Even if she didn't receive the grand prize, the cyborg at least hoped that the artitfact does fall into the right hands. The last thing that was needed was for a greedy villain to dominate the realms with this kind of power.

Matrik then thought about the mission she was a part of along with the rest of those in the cave. For one thing, they were trying to crack down on the activities behind the tournament. A good question that came up at one point was... why would the Emperor of Outworld offer such a powerful artifact when he can have it for himself? There was obviously a catch to it, like a fine print that barely anyone notices and only caring about the main product.

The main plan about the medallion was to find out the story behind it and it's source. However, no one knew a thing about it, except those in possession of it, which was a big risk indeed. The best thing the group could do right now was to wait for more information to come to them. They would most likely find out something before the tournament was over.

Matrik spent about an hour of training before she decided to call it a day. She was just beginning to walk back when she heard a noise nearby... a pair of footsteps, she realized.

Getting herself hidden behind a tree just in case, Matrik began using her scanner to find their location. It didn't take long for her to spot two figures amongst the tree. One she realized right away was a male cyborg, but his armor was a smokey gray color.

 _He looks like he has the same technology as Sektor,_ she growled in her mind. _It wouldn't surprise me if Sektor was actually here now with some new prototype..._

The other he was with, however, gave her a bit of pause. He owasn't a cyborg, but the energy that was giving off in her readings showed that he wasn't exactly human either. It was more like he was one of the undead...

That was when she remembered a shadow figure from yesterday... perhaps this was the person she spotted that morning.

At the moment, however, Matrik realized that she was too far away to hear their current conversation. Worse, if she even tried to get too close right now, there was a good chance that the mysterious cyborg would spot her.

Eventually, the two of them began to walk away, moving deeper into the forest. Deciding to take the opportunity to figure out what they were up to, as well as discover where they were hiding, especially if there was a chance that Sektor was there, Matrik began to follow them, making sure to keep her distance...

~~~

**Outdoor Arena**

"Ken Masters!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Ken was quite surprised to hear his name called out so soon. He was going to participate in the very first match of round three.

He felt a light punch on his shoulder almost immediately after his name was called. He turned his head and saw his best friend Ryu, a small smirk appearing on his face. " _Kōun._ "

" _Arigatou_ ," Ken replied giving Ryu a thumb's up. Afterward, he stepped over the rope, then made his way to the middle of the ring. He did a few punches in the air, preparing for his upcoming match.

Soon, his opponent was announced. "Sektor!"

Ken stopped what he was going and searched around for his opponent. It wasn't long before a red cyborg stepped into the ring and made his way towards Ken. He stopped just a few feet away from Ken and immediately got into his fighting stance. Ken followed after.

"Begin!"

Immediately, they covered the distance between then and began their match. They both delivered a kick at the same time and both legs collided. They both pulled back before Sektor delivered a punch, which Ken blocked. Ken saw an opening and attempted an uppercut, but Sektor saw it coming and blocked that as well.

They both threw a few more punches, kicks, and blocks before Sektor pulled back. His chest opened up and immediately a single missile came out. Ken was nearly caught by surprise, but he was able to find the time to get out of the way of the missile's path.

As the missile landed on the ground and exploded, Ken quickly shot both of his hands out, a light blue projectile shooting out from them. " _Hadouken!_ " Ken called out as the projectile headed towards Sektor. However, Sektor saw it coming and he too dodged out of the way. Afterwards, the two fighters ran towards each other and began their hand to hand combat once again.

The two of them spent about a minute on both offense and defense. Suddenly, Sektor sank into the ground. This surprised Ken more than the missile.

"What the-" he began to say, but then he suddenly felt a punch behind his head and stumbled forward. Sektor had appeared from the sky and had delivered a kick. Thankfully, Ken didn't lose consciousness from that. He felt only dazed for a moment, but just as quickly he regained his composure.

Ken bent his knees down as Sektor quickly approached him. When he was close enough, Ken tightened his fist. He then pushed his fist above his head as he jumped up, hitting Sektor right under the chin.

" _Shoryuken!_ " Ken called out. Sektor flew up before falling back hard on the ground. Ken spun himself in the air before falling back to the ground safely. However, Sektor managed to get himself back on his feet quickly, ready for more.

Ken ran over to Sektor and they fought more. However, Ken suddenly found himself on defense as he blocked a flurry of Sektor's punches and kicks, which seemed endless. Some time passed before Ken finally found an opening and he managed to kick Sektor hard enough so that there was a bit of space in between then.

This gave Sektor another opportunity. The compartment in his chest opened up and another missile came out. Ken was much more prepared this time and he quickly got out of the way. However, Sektor had shot out a missile following it and right into the path Ken stepped into. The missile landed a foot in front of Ken and exploded on impact. Ken flew a few feet back and landed on the back of his head.

Ken felt extremely dizzy from that and tried to get back up. To his dismay, he fell back and as he lost consciousness, the last words he heard were, "Winner: Sektor!"

~~~

**Courtyard**

In the middle of the ring, both Julia Chang and Yin Lee stood a few feet away from each other. They both have seen each other around in the cave, but never actually met until now. However, their first time meeting wasn't in a way that they hoped. In a few moments, they would face each other in a match to determine who would move on to round four.

Julia placed a hand out. "Good luck to you," she said.

Yin was a bit hesitant at first. Last time she shook hands with someone, her brother Yun tossed her to the ground. He had been joking around, but Yin could've sworn she lost the feeling in her arm for the rest of the day. Needless to say, she socked him with her other fist when the chance came.

Julia seemed honorable though. Either way, Yin was still cautious as she took Julia's hand and slightly shook it. When Julia pulled away, Yin smiled. "Good luck to you too."

The Arizona native nodded. With that, the two of them got into their fighting stance.

Shang Tsung, once again sitting at his throne, looked at both women and saw that they were ready. "Begin!" he called out.

For a few more seconds, neither girl moved. Finally, Yin quickly covered the distance between them and the match began. Finding herself on defense, Julia blocked as much of Yin's attacks as possible. Yin mostly threw open-palm strikes and followed them with a few kicks. She managed to hit Julia a couple of times, but the young woman would quickly recover.

Yin then threw a punch, which Julia ducked under. This gave Julia a chance to perform a sweep kick. She succeeded as the kick connected, knocking Yin to the ground, letting out an 'Oof!' in the process. After that, Yin quickly rolled back, then got herself back on her feet. Julia covered the distance between them and they continued fighting.

They both played on offense and defense. During that time, Yin's glove got caught on Julia's headband and when Yin pulled her hand back, Julia's headband went with it. Julia felt the breeze suddenly hit her forehead and it almost caught her by surprise for a moment there. She then noticed another punch coming and barely ducked under it.

After a couple of more punches, Yin pulled back a bit. She then brought out a fist and jumped forward, ducking down a bit. As she did, a wave of blue energy emerged quickly out of her extended arm, leaving a small trail behind before dispersing.

" _Shuuraizan!_ " Yin called out as the move connected. Julia let out a small yelp as she suddenly found herself flying back a few feet before landing on her side. She felt the sudden pain hit her and she took a moment to recover before standing herself on her feet.

Once she saw that Julia was back on her feet, Yin ran over to her and they continued with their match. Julia performed a high kick, which Yin ducked under. Immediately after, Yin attempted a palm strike to Julia's abdomen. Julia saw the move coming and blocked the move before it connected.

During this time, Julia noticed the edge of the ring not too far from them. _Now's my chance!_ she thought.

"Sorry," Julia said to Yin. Yin wasn't sure why she said that… until Julia delivered a kick to her stomach, a kick hard enough that it sent Yin stumbling back and right out of the ring. Once she stepped out of the ring, she fell down on her back.

Shang Tsung stood up once that happened. "Winner: Julia Chang!"

The audience clapped in unison. Julia felt good that she won, but upon seeing the disappointed look on Yin's face, she frowned. It was the only thing Julia hated about tournaments. As good as it felt to win, she always felt bad for those who were deserving to win as well.

Julia approached Yin and placed a hand out. "That was quite a challenge. Great match!"

Yin sighed to herself as she looked up at Julia. It was as she thought… she was an honorable person. Yin always strived to be the best. However, today proved that she really needed to train herself better not just by body, but also the mind. She wondered if Yun was laughing at her right now from the other side of the ring. She knew Yang was feeling bad for her and was possibly trying to smack Yun to his senses.

Then again, the thought of having gone farther in the tournament than both of her brothers brought a smirk to her face. If Yun ever tried to hold this tournament against her, at least Yin would be able to back it up.

Yin lifted her hand and took Julia's hand. Julia helped the young woman to her feet. "It was a good match," Yin said.

Julia smiled. "Let's get back to the cave. I'll make us both some tea."

Yin liked the sound of that. She was starting to feel the physical effects from the match. After talking with Yun and Yang, the two girls left the arena and headed back towards the cave.

Meanwhile, the group consisting of Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi, Hwang, and Mi-na stood on the sidelines as they watched a few more matches taking place in the Courtyard. Both Maxi and Hwang had a match today. Mi-na had hoped that at least Hwang would get to his match that morning, but by lunch time, she was beginning to feel her stomach rumble.

"I'm hungry," Mi-na announced out loud to no one in particular. However, all four of them heard her.

"I am too," said Xianghua.

Maxi sighed. "All right all right, let's make a deal. After this match, if neither Hwang or I get called in, you girls can go to the palace for lunch. However, if you do happen to miss our match, you'll be sorry."

"Not really," said Mi-na. "I have great confidence that Hwang will win." She patted Hwang's shoulder after the comment.

"You know," said Kilik. "I'm starting to feel a bit hungry too now that you mentioned it…"

"Not you too!" Maxi cried out. "Did any of you eat breakfast before coming here?"

"Yes!" all three called out at the same time.

"I did too," Hwang added.

Maxi sighed. "Fine then."

Soon, the match in front of them ended. Some blood ended up on the ground so the guards had to take a moment to clean the ring up before the tournament could proceed.

Once that was done, Shang Tsung stood up. "The next match shall begin!" He paused before the first fighter was announced. "Maxi!"

Maxi grinned at his friends. "There we go. After this, you three can get your lunch."

"Why thank you Maxi, you're so kind," said Mi-na sarcastically.

"Good luck," Xianghua said with a smile.

"Thanks, I won't be needing it though," Maxi replied, then winked at Xianghua before stepping into the ring. Xianghua was a bit surprised by the wink and she slightly felt her heart flutter a bit.

She then felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face Kilik and upon seeing his face, her heart fluttered once again. "How much do you want to bet Maxi will fight another weird freak?"

Xianghua had dazed out for a moment and it took a moment for Kilik's question to reach her. She slightly shook her head before replying. "Hmmm, I call it a 50/50."

"Same here," Kilik replied before turning his head to the ring.

Once he did, Xianghua looked down at the ground and sighed. _Why is choosing between those two so hard…_

Once Maxi was in the middle of the ring, Shang Tsung announced his opponent. "Hwang Seong-gyeong!"

Mi-na, Xianghua, and Kilik turned their heads to Hwang, surprised to have heard his name being called for the same match Maxi was in. Hwang looked a bit surprise as well, but soon he quickly shrugged it off. "I guess I'm up."

"Good luck," said Mi-na. Xianghua and Kilik nodding, agreeing with her.

"Thanks," Hwang answered before stepping into the ring.

Without looking over at her, Kilik leaned his head towards Xianghua. "Looks like normal fight wins."

"Yeah," was all Xianghua said as she felt her cheek burn upon hearing Kilik's voice. She knew that they turned red and she hoped that no one noticed.

Soon, Maxi and Hwang found themselves face to face. Maxi couldn't help but smirk. "I'm just surprised as you are." He took out one of his nunchakus. "May the best win."

Hwang nodded as he took his sword out. "Good luck." With that, they both got into their fighting stance.

"Begin!"

For a moment, Maxi was thankful that his weapons were made to withstand attacks from weapons like Hwang's sword. They were definitely going to be useful right now. Not long after the thought, they began their match. They swung their weapons at each other, both of them avoiding the incoming attacks. Eventually, they found themselves mostly performing kick attacks and both combatants were still able to avoid them.

"Eat this!" Maxi called out as he performed a somersault. One foot was extended out and it hit Hwang right under his chin, forcing him to fly two feet up before landing back on the ground. Maxi landed back on his feet and waited as Hwang slowly got himself back on his feet.

Once Hwang was ready, they continued battling, their weapons continuously colliding against one another. At one point, Maxi attempted to trip Hwang, but Hwang saw the move coming and jumped over it. He then attempted to swing his sword down, but Maxi looked up just in time and blocked the move with his nunchaku.

After a few more moves, Hwang pulled back for a moment before collecting green energy into his sword. He then lifted his leg up and quickly did a forward split, swinging down his sword in the process. Maxi had blocked the move, but the move itself was powerful enough to knock him to the ground. It left him stunned for a moment, but upon seeing the sword swinging over him again, Maxi regained his senses back and quickly rolled out of the way.

Maxi got back on his feet and he and Hwang continued swinging their weapons at each other, adding in their own kicks whenever they got the chance.

Soon, Maxi was able to land a kick to Hwang's chest. Hwang keeled over in a bit of pain, which gave Maxi an opportunity. He too collected green energy in his nunchakus. He waited for Hwang to look up and when he did, Maxi lashed his nunchaku, smacking Hwang hard over the head. The force of the blow flew Hwang sideways and rendered him unconscious.

A moment passed before Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Maxi."

Maxi smirked, having won yet another match in this tournament. After his name was announced, Kilik, Xianghua, and Mina began to head into the ring.

"Nighty night," Maxi said looking down at Hwang. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Maxi!" Xianghua called out as she heard that. Maxi looked at her a bit surprised to see her standing there with both hands on her hips and not looking too happy. Behind her, Kilik and Mi-na were checking up on Hwang.

Maxi grinned unsurely as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Eh, you know I'm kidding right? Heh heh… I just like to say that…"

~~~

**Unknown Area**

It was a few hours before the two mysterious figures reached what looked like another cave. The entire time, Matrik had kept her distance and, so far, it seemed to be working since it looked as though neither of them suspected her presence just yet. There were moments where she dared herself to get closer in hopes to catching whatever conversation they could possibly have.

However, neither of them have said a word since the moment she spotted them, even once she was close enough to hear them speak.

Once they reached their own cave, Matrik stayed where she was, deciding to leave some time between them entering the cave and before she made her move. Once she felt more comfortable, she moved from her hiding spot and went through the cave entrance.

For a while, she felt like she was walking through nothing more than a dark path, using her night vision to find her way. Soon, she reached a clearing and saw that the two figures were looking over a large piece of machinery towards the back of the cave. Seeing some crates nearby, Matrik moved herself so that she kept herself hidden just in case.

“So,” the shadow figure spoke out loud. “This was the new tech Sektor had developed... the one that we'll be needing human test subjects for soon enough. With this, we will create more cyborgs with your nano-technology. With that, we will be able to rule the Netherrealm with an iron fist. And Sektor will be able to expand his Tekunin clan.”

Hearing this plan didn't surprise Matrik. Sektor was always looking to advance the cyborg initiative. Also, it looked as though there was a reason the other cyborg was here after all. The shadow figure seemed to have his own plan as well. This explained their partnership.

That was when the lights in the room seemed to get brighter. As it does, a red cyborg entered the room. The shadow figure had heard him come in and he turned to him.

“Noob Saibot,” the cyborg greeted.

Noob nodded. “Sektor. It seems that your match in the tournament today ended sooner for you."

"He was nothing but a weakling even with his level of chi from my scans," Sektor replied about his opponent. "These matches seem to get easier with every round." It was then that he looked up at the machine in front of them. "When will you be hunting for a test subject?"

"Tonight," Noob answered. "Smoke and I will make our move then. We'll be searching for someone who is alone in the forests. We're sure that at least someone will be moronic enough to walk these Outworld woods alone."

Suddenly, Sektor lifted up a hand as though stopping him from

“What's wrong?” Noob asked him.

“... We're not alone.”

 _Shit,_ Matrik grumbled in her mind.

Having no other choice, Matrik did the first thing that she could think of... outstretching her hand, a compartment opened up at the palm. Five small golden balls quickly flew out and managed to pass Noob and Sektor undetected. Matrik heard them cling on to the large machine that was meant for human test subjects. Once that was done, she made a run for it.

Noob and Sektor had just spotted Matrik right before an explosion rocked the cave and knocking them and Smoke off their feet.

“Dammit!” Noob called out as the three of them stood back up. “Let's go-”

Sektor suddenly put a hand out, stopping the wraith. “No... let her go.”

Noob was confused by the request. “And here I thought you'd want her dead.”

“I do,” Sektor explained. “But believe me... she'll be back... we'll just bide our time until then.”

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

At the same time, two projectiles collided with one another. Both were blue energies which, upon impact, collided and left behind a small trail before completely dispersing.

Once the energies cleared, the fighter looked at each other. Both Akuma and Baraka only grunted before charging towards each other and continued with their match hand to hand. Akuma was able to land a punch on Baraka's jaw, but Baraka recovered just as quickly and delivered a knee strike, which Akuma blocked. Akuma then followed with a high kick, which Baraka blocked before following it up with a uppercut, which Akuma blocked.

After another minute of going back and forth, Baraka pulled back slightly. Akuma stood his ground in his fighting stance, prepared for Baraka's next attack. Baraka quickly extended his blades out of each arm. Akuma didn't even flinch at the weapons as he volunteered to cover the distance between them. Once Akuma was close enough, Baraka began lashing out his blades at the red haired demon. At one point, Baraka left a gash on Akuma's arm, but it didn't affect the demon one bit.

Eventually, Akuma jumped up, placed one leg out, and spin himself around rapidly. The move hit Baraka in the face a couple of times before stumbling back, still keeping his feet on the ground.

However, the moment Akuma landed on his feet, he shot out another projectile. Rather than a blue energy from previous, this one was red. Baraka was still recovering from the last move and never saw the projectile coming as it hit him square in the chest. The force of it was enough to knock Baraka out of the ring.

Once that happened, the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up. "Winner: Akuma!"

The audience clapped as the 'ten' symbol on his back glowed in a fiery red through his top gi. Baraka stood himself up. As much as he wanted to kill the demon right there, he didn't. He had the feeling that if he did, Shao Kahn would have his head. As Akuma left the ring, Baraka's blades glided back into his body, then he left the ring.

When both combatants disappeared, the Shadow Priest announced the fighter for the next match. "Siegfried Schtauffen!"

Silently, Siegfried stepped into the ring, his large sword read in both hands. He stepped to the middle of the ring, then swung his sword in the air a couple of times in preparation for his match.

A moment went by before his opponent was announced. "Astaroth!"

Siegfried stood where he was upon seeing his very large opponent, who seemed to appear from behind the Shadow Priest's throne. The audience looked on in silence, not even sure what to think of the large golem. With the silence amongst everyone in the arena, the only noise that was heard was the rhythmic beating of Astaroth's heart, which left an echo behind with each beat.

Astaroth looked down at Siegfried once he reached the middle of the ring. "It will rain blood today!" he said before getting into his fighting stance, his large axe in both hands.

Siegfried looked up at Astaroth as he got into his fighting stance. "… Let's do this…"

With that, the Shadow Priest knew they were ready. "Begin!"

Quickly, Astaroth charged after Siegfried, who was long prepared for his attacks. Astaroth swung his axe down, which Siegfried rolled out of the way from as the axe hit the ground, leaving a dent in the process. Siegfried got back on his feet as Astaroth swung his axe sideways this time. This time, the young man blocked the axe with his sword.

From their, they continuously swung their weapons at each other and they collided against one another. The sound of clashing steels were heard throughout the arena along with grunts from both opponent as they try to get themselves on complete offense. At one point, Siegfried ducked under the axe as it swung sideways. At nearly the same time, Siegfried performed the same maneuver with his sword, but he aimed at Astaroth's ankles. Astaroth saw this coming and he barely jumped over it. As he landed on his feet, the ground shook a bit under his heavy weight, surprising some of the viewers for a moment.

From there, they continued with their match as the weapons continued to collide with one another. This went on a bit longer before Astaroth pulled back. He lifted his axe in the air and swung it down as a trail of fire was left behind. He swung the weapon down with such speed and force that it nearly caught Siegfried by surprise. Siegfried barely got himself out of the way and the axe once again left another dent on the ground.

Astaroth lifted his axe off the ground and swung it at Siegfried again. He missed again as his smaller opponent dodged in the other direction. This time, Astaroth cut the rope that separated them from the viewers. Those who stood in front of the axe backed away a few feet quickly in surprise before Astaroth lifted the heavy weapon up again.

As he did, Siegfried swung his sword. Astaroth blocked the sword with his weapon and the two continued their battle. During that time, Siegfried could once again feel his right arm a bit and he quickly pulled back to briefly recover. He could feel the dizzy sensation swirling in his head and he felt as though he was going to black out at any second.

Not again! he cried out in his mind, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to control himself.

Astaroth saw that he was distracted and he attempted to swing his axe at him once again. Siegfried was able to hear the whoosh that followed the axe's trail. He quickly opened his eyes and blocked the move with his sword once again. After blocking, Siegfried brought the sharp end of his sword to the ground, pulled back, then quickly swung the weapon upward. The weapon managed to hit Astaroth and it had such force that it actually sent the golem up in the air. As he was flying up, he went in a slight diagonal and by the time he started coming down, he was out of the ring and began heading down towards the viewers below him.

"Look out!" someone called out. The viewers in Astaroth's path cleared the way as quickly as possible. Luckily, everyone was out of the way as Astaroth plummeted to the ground, leaving a large dent on the floor. Not only had he been kicked out of the ring, but he was also knocked out as well from the impact.

"Winner: Siegfried!" the Shadow Priest called out a few seconds later.

Once he realized that he won the match, Siegfried was able to relax and was able to keep himself in control again. He was more confused than anything else. _What is wrong with me?_ he thought.

After another moment, he quickly left the arena.


	31. Chapter Thirty

**Near The Cave**

Sitting on the sand with his legs crossed, Dan Hibiki gazed out at the clear waters of Outworld. Although he had plenty of time to do so previously, this was the first time that he was getting to know his surroundings. The sea before him was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. A few times, he was able to spot some fish swimming beneath the surface.

Dan sighed to himself quietly. Aside from the scenery, his stay in Outworld hasn't really been a good one. For one thing, he had lost the privilege to move on to round three like the majority of those staying with him in this cave. His loss in round two was a humiliating one. He was too confident in himself that he nearly forgot that the more serious fighters would easily be able to take him down. He acted like a total goofball only to get his behind kicked so easily.

Originally, he came to this tournament because he found the invitation on the floor. He felt that by showing off his Saikyo fighting style, he would became one of the greatest fighters in the universe.

He was a fool after all, after hearing it from other people for so long. It was no wonder he didn't receive an invitation of his own… he truly wasn't worthy of this tournament, even despite winning the first round.

Also, he felt as though he was ignored by his supposed 'peers' of the cave. This was especially from Mika, Sakura, and Asuka, who he had considered friends to him. However, once in a while, Sakura would say hello to him and talk to him for a bit, but he believed that she was just being nice.

Dan wished that he could just leave Outworld right now, but like every loser here, he was stuck here until the entire tournament was over.

As Dan continued to look out at the sea, he heard footsteps not too far from behind him. Curiosity got the best of him and he turned his head to see who was coming. Only a few feet away was one of the people staying in the cave with him. Dan recognized him as the shaman Nightwolf. Dan had expected him to be going about his own business, but then the pink-clad fighter realized that he was looking right at him.

"Hi there," Dan said politely.

"Good afternoon," replied Nightwolf. The shaman originally came to this area to meditate when he noticed Dan sitting here by himself. He felt his energy and knew that he was in very deep thought and it made Nightwolf curious. Besides, aside from the first fishing day when he told his reasons for being here, he has been keeping mostly to himself since coming to Outworld. Perhaps it was time to get to know at least one person around here.

Nightwolf sat next to Dan, sitting himself in a similar fashion. "You seem to be in deep thought, my friend," Nightwolf said.

Dan sighed as he turned his head back towards the sea. "I'm not so sure about myself anymore," he answered. "I always thought that my Saikyo style was the best, at least to me. I wonder now if everyone is right about it… that it really does suck. I wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place…"

"Do not think that of yourself," Nightwolf highly suggested. "You do not believe that you were meant to be here, but the truth is that you are. Raiden and Rose would not have chosen for you to be here if you weren't meant to be here. You have a pure heart and soul and are one of their chosen ones."

A small smirk came over Dan's face, feeling a bit better after hearing Nightwolf's words. Even though many thought of him as a joke, even though he lost the tournament, he was still one of the chosen ones. There really was a reason for him to be here.

Before Dan could give a thanks, Nightwolf spoke again. "Perhaps during our time here, I can help you train your mind. The future of this tournament is unpredictable and anything can happen. If you are willing to be patient during your training, you will become a better fighter."

Dan nodded, accepting Nightwolf's offer. "I'd be honored."

"Now," Nightwolf continued as he straightened his back. "Let's begin by meditating."

Straightening his own back, Dan placed his hands on both knees and closed his eyes. Already, he was grateful for Nightwolf's offer to train his mind. If he was going to be a better fighter, this was what he was going to need.

~~~

**Courtyard**

A match was about to begin between Heihachi Mishima and Yoshimitsu in the Courtyard under the watchful eye of the sorcerer Shang Tsung. In the ring, Heihachi had his arms folded, ready for battle. Much to Yoshimitsu's dismay, Heihachi didn't have a weapon on him. To make the competition even, Yoshimitsu placed his sword back in it's scabbard.

"Hmph," Heihachi said as Yoshimitsu put his sword away. "Why do you need that in the first place?"

Yoshimitsu doesn't answer him. Instead, he got himself into a fighting stance.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

Neither fighter wasted any time and ran towards each other. Immediately, they both got on offense and defense as they threw various punches and kicks at each other. This lasted for sometime and the competition seemed quite even.

Yoshimitsu then pulled back and he quickly took out his sword, holding it with his artificial right hand. He quickly placed the sword above his head and, with his wrist, spun it in quick circles like a helicopter. He was able to fly himself a few feet up and, with both feet, kicked Heihachi in the face. The whole process was quick so it caught the old man by surprise and it made him stumble back a few feet.

As Yoshimitsu was getting himself back on the ground, Heihachi quickly charged some energy in his hands and the moment Yoshimitsu was on his feet, Heihachi performed a powerful jab, red energy surrounding his arm. The force of the punch sent Yoshimitsu flying back and landed a few feet from the edge of the ring. The move caught him by surprise as well and he had to take a moment to recover.

Soon he was back on his feet. Heihachi then ran to him and landed a few punches and kicks, though his opponent was able to block some of the moves. It brought them to the edge of the ring and Yoshimitsu knew that he had to do something quickly.

Yoshimitsu blocked an incoming punch. Then, in a puff of smoke, he disappeared in front of Heihachi's eyes. He then reappeared behind him and was about to punch him. However, to his surprise, Heihachi had quickly turned around and blocked the incoming punch. It was the first time anyone was able to track Yoshimitsu down that quickly after teleporting.

"Impressive," Yoshimitsu admitted.

"Same to you," Heihachi said. "And I rarely admit that to anyone."

With that, Heihachi performed a few kicks. He then quickly maneuvered himself around Yoshimitsu and, with a powerful roundhouse kick, sent Yoshimitsu flying right out of the ring, knocking into some of the viewers in the process.

After a moment, Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Heihachi Mishima!"

As Yoshimitsu recovered, Heihachi looked down at him. "You're a worthy challenge… but come back when you are really ready to fight." And with that, Heihachi left the ring and out of the courtyard.

~~~

**Main Palace**

Princess Kitana was walking around the palace grounds, looking around at the beautiful scenery. Fighters of different kinds trained themselves on the grounds as they prepared themselves for their upcoming matches. Kitana herself had just finished training, having her own match in three days.

Nothing came to her mind as she continued looking at the scenery before her. It was amazing... to think that such a beautiful place like this was part of a world where she left behind her darkest memories. The horrible thing was that she couldn't think of any good memories from before Shao Kahn took over her world of Edenia, mainly because she had been too young to remember.

Kitana continued her walk when she came to a clearing. No one was there, except for a figure training himself with a very large sword. Kitana stood there for a moment as she realized that the figure training himself was none other than Siegfried. His long blonde hair swayed lightly with the wind as he continued swinging his sword, mainly from side to side.

The Princess sat on a bench nearby as she continued watching him with amazement. She has seen people train hard before, but never has she seen someone train with so much more dedication and it was indeed worth watching.

Soon, however, Siegfried straightened himself out before placing his sword back in the large scabbard behind his back. It wasn't until he turned around that he noticed Kitana sitting on the bench and knew that she had been watching him. He decided to go greet her and went over to her.

Kitana was surprised that he came up to her and had to struggle a bit just to get herself to talk. "You train yourself very well," she complimented. "I am very impressed."

"Thank you," Siegfried answered. "Your mother tells me that you made it to round three of the tournament. Congratulations."

Kitana felt her cheeks burn a bit, but she hoped that they didn't actually turn red. "Well, um, thank you. So when is your next match for this round?"

"I won yesterday," Siegfried replied.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

The two then fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to say next. It wasn't a very long silence though as Kitana came up with an idea, especially considering that she doesn't spend enough time with him.

"Say," she began as she stood on her feet. "Do you want to go for a walk for a little bit? We won't go too far from the palace."

Upon being asked that, Siegfried looked down at his right hand briefly. Kitana tried not to raise an eyebrow. Ever since she met him, he had a thing with looking at his right hand, but she couldn't understand why…and it wasn't something she was going to ask, at least not right now.

Siegfried looked at Kitana afterwards. "Sure, we can go for a walk. However, we can't be long. I have… other matters to take care of."

Kitana smiled. "That's fine."

With that, the two of them began heading towards the forest before them.

~~~

**Forest Area, Closer To the Cave Area**

"Ah, this is much better," said Lita Luwanda as she stretched her arms out. "Nothing like hanging out with all girls and getting away from all the testosterone."

Sonya couldn't help but laugh. "It's not that bad is it?"

"Not really," replied Chun Li. "But I've been around men for way too long."

"You said it," said Cammy.

"It's all right," replied Alex.

The other four girls looked at Alex oddly. Alex noticed the looks and forced a smile, despite the little pain on her left cheek from yesterday's incident. "I was, eh, kidding!"

"Don't you force me to make you do push ups again," Sonya laughed.

Alex almost wanted to joking retort at those words, but she ended up stopping herself on the off chance that Sonya will actually make her do push-ups after all.

“Hey Alex,” spoke up Lita. “If I recall, you had your match this morning. How was it?”

Alex sighed to herself as the flashback in her mind ended. "Well, I did win, so I actually made it to round four… at the cost of having my foot licked by some weird pervert. I kept both my feet in hot water for two hours after that."

Chun Li cringed upon hearing that. "I was watching that match! I was surprised he managed to get your boot off, plus your sock… that looked like it would take a while to get off."

"Let's not think about it anymore," suggested Sonya.

"Tell me about it," Alex agreed.

The five of them continued walking through the forest when Lita suddenly said, "You know what I'm in the mood for? I'm in the mood for sake."

"I wouldn't advise it," suggested Cammy.

"And why not?"

"Well… you remember what happened with me and Wagner?"

"What happened?" asked a curious Sonya.

Cammy sighed. "Well, it happened two years ago when we were both still underage, but it happened like this…"

_Cammy was doing some paperwork in the kitchen when Wagner came home. Not too far behind him were a couple of friends and each one had a either a bottle or a pack of alcohol._

_"Scott!" Cammy called out. "What is this?"_

_"I call it fun," Wagner replied. "You should join us, Cam!"_

_"You know that Guile will kill us if he ever saw us with all that!"_

_"He's not going to be home until tomorrow morning," Wagner said. "He'll never know about this. And again… you should join us!"_

_Cammy huffed with a bit of frustration. She then saw that Wagner had sake in his hand, and it looked as though it was straight from Japan. Where he got it from, she didn't want to know._

_"Well," Cammy said. "I do want to try that sake you have in your hand…"_

_Three hours later…_

_"WOO HOO!" Cammy screamed out as she danced on top of the dinner table, holding the mostly empty bottle up in the air. Nearby, Wagner was having a drinking contest with one of his friends._

_"Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!" they called out. Wagner managed to finish his drink first. He slammed his cup down on the table, then raised his arm up in the air in victory._

_"I freakin' rule!" Wagner called out as everyone cheered for him._

_"It's HOT! Look at me!" Cammy cried out. Wagner had looked up and saw that his surrogate sister had just taken her shirt and bra off, leaving her completely topless._

_Wagner suddenly felt sober as he jumped from his seat. "Cammy, NO!" he called out._

_"WOO HOO!" Cammy cried out again as she swung her bra in a circle above her head. She also began swinging her hips to the beat of the loud music in a similar fashion._

_"Not good! Not good!" Wagner said as he tried to get to Cammy._

_One of his friends noticed Wagner. "Dude, your sister's hot!"_

_"Shut up before I slug you!" Wagner growled._

_That was when the music suddenly stopped. Everyone at the party looked around wondering what happened. That's when Wagner noticed Guile and his wife Jane and young daughter Amy standing by the stereo, not looking too happy. Jane was covering Amy's eyes with her hand so that the young girl didn't see what was going on around them._

_Cammy, still standing on the table, looked over at the Guiles… it was at that moment that she suddenly felt sober…_

After Cammy told her story, Sonya, Chun Li, and Alex couldn't help but laugh. "That was a good one!" cried out Sonya.

Cammy sighed. "Yeah, but not the aftermath. Wagner and I were grounded for two weeks and we had to clean the military cafeteria with only a sponge and a bucket of water."

"That's a bummer," said Alex.

Sonya looked at her and grinned. "Let's not forget the prank we pulled on you."

"Yeah yeah," Alex grumbled as the other girls laughed as they remembered the prank Sonya and Wagner pulled on her.

It was then that a serious look came over Chun Li and she forced the other four to hush. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked a confused Lita. A few seconds passed before any of them heard footsteps not too far from them.

"Someone's coming," said a wide-eyed Cammy.

"I'll go check it out," Sonya suggested. "You four stay here." With that, she pulled out a gun from a hidden pocket in her jacket before slowly making her way over to where the footsteps were heard. The other four stood where they were silently. Alex pulled out her own gun just in case.

Sonya slowly approached where she was hearing the footsteps, keeping her loaded gun in front of her. She went about thirty yards from where she was previously when she realized that she could no longer hear the footsteps. Sonya stopped in her place and looked around. She could just see the girls behind the many trees she just walked by.

 _Maybe it was our imagination…_ she thought.

Suddenly, she heard a loud whoosh, but before she could react, her own gun was suddenly knocked out of her own hands, catching her by surprise. Her gun flew about twenty feet before landing on the ground, along with another weapon. Sonya took a closer look at the weapon and saw that it was a long knife.

Sonya quickly turned around towards the direction where the knife came from. Immediately, she noticed a male figure dressed in all black, with the exception of his bleach blond hair, about ten feet away from her. He stood completely straight with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he looked over at Sonya under his dark sunglasses.

"So you want to fight?" Sonya mumbled. She quickly put her hands out and four pink ring-like projectiles came shooting out of her hands. Her foe looked a bit surprised, but he managed to jump over them quickly, then made his way towards her. Once he got to her, he performed a few high kicks, which Sonya blocked before she found an opening. She attempted a few jabs to the torso, but the mysterious man blocked her from succeeding.

 _Looks like it's going to be one hell of a fight,_ Sonya thought.

~~~

**Cave Area**

Sitting by the unlit campfire, Ken Masters looked at a wallet-sized photo in his hand. In the photo was a recent picture of himself along with his wife Eliza and son Mel. He sighed to himself as he remembered Eliza being weary for him when he was leaving for the tournament.

 _I hope she's doing all right without me,_ he thought sighing.

For one thing, Ken had lost The Blood Tournament entirely yesterday. He was knocked out by his opponent and woke up later in his room with a big headache. He rested for the rest of that day and today he decided to relax a bit longer while everyone else either attended or watched the tournament.

If he could, for Eliza and Mel, he would head home right this minute. However, like everyone else, he was stuck here until the very end of it. He wondered how much longer that was going to take. Besides, he promised Eliza that he would go on a cruise once he got home. That he was looking forward to the most.

Ken was in such deep thought that he didn't realize that someone had come up from behind him, noticing the picture he held in his hand. "That's a nice family you have," a young woman's voice said.

Ken blinked a couple of times, a bit surprised by the voice. He then turned his head and looked up to recognize Cassandra. A warm smile appeared on her face as he continued to gaze at the picture.

"Thank you," Ken replied. "It's my wife and son."

"That's what I thought," Cassandra said as she sat down next to him. "I have a big family back at home… my parents, of course, my older sister Sophitia and my brother Lucius. Sophitia is married and they have two kids."

"That does sound like a big family," Ken said. "Are any of them fighters like you?"

"My siblings and I… we're all fighters. My brother is still learning and my sister is one of the best. Actually, she was invited to this tournament, but she was too weary from all of her travels. So, she gave the invitation to me. I'm surprised that I made it this far."

Ken sighed. "Well, even though I lost, I'm grateful for making it as far as I did… at a cost of a headache."

Cassandra couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm not sure whether or not I want to be knocked out if I was to lose."

They fell silent then. As he placed the picture back in his pocket, Ken thought about Ibuki. He knew that Cassandra was part of the small group of girls that Ibuki was part of. A question came over him.

"So," Ken said in a more serious but sincere tone. "How are you and the girls? I mean, after what happened to Ibuki…"

Cassandra's smile faded and she let out a small sigh. "We're still in shock. Actually, we haven't really talked much about her death, we try to talk about the good times. Even though I only knew her for a short while, I felt like I've known her for a long time and it hit hard once I found out she… well, you know. Through it all, we're trying our best to move on, for her sake."

Ken nodded in agreement. "I'm sure she would've wanted that. And always know… she's in a better place now."

Cassandra smirked, taking comfort in Ken's words. "You're right."

~~~

**Forest Area, Closer To The Palace**

Kitana and Siegfried continued their walk through the forest. Since the beginning of their walk, they only talked about the tournament, mainly of their own matches and some of the other matches they've seen.

Eventually, Kitana grew tired of talking about the tournament. Even though the two had known each other since the tournament began, she still felt as though she didn't really know Siegfried all that well. She then remembered that he was from the world of Keisei, a realm she had never been to before. She then decided to bring that up…

"So," Kitana began to ask. "What is your home of Keisei like?"

Siegfried looked at the Princess upon hearing the question. A small smirk appeared on his face. "It's a very beautiful place. I've heard that it is very similar to Earthrealm."

"That's very interesting.," Kitana replied.

"But I've also heard that my world itself is much smaller than Earth, and everything is more fresh and our way of life is much different. The mountains, blue sky, and grass are about the same, but the mountains are much higher, but not as high as the ones from here. I'm from what we call the Holy Roman Empire, one of the richest countries in Keisei."

"It definitely sounds lovely," Kitana said. "It almost sounds like my world of Edenia."

"I'm sure it's a nice place," Siegfried replied.

It was at that moment that Siegfried's right hand began to shake once again. He looked down at it and he clenched his own teeth in frustration behind his closed lips.

Kitana had noticed this. "Are you all right?" she asked. "If you don't feel well, we can rest…"

Siegfried quickly looked up at her, a worried look appearing on his face. This scared Kitana almost right away. It was definitely something serious. She went to go touch his hand, but he pulled back almost immediately, startling her even more.

"I, I'm sorry Kitana," Siegfried said in a shaky voice. "Whatever you do, please don't follow me!" With that, he quickly ran off deeper into the forest.

"Siegfried wait!" Kitana called out. She reached her hand out to him, but even before she did so, she knew that it was no use. Worry and confusion consumed her and she watched Siegfried disappear behind the thick trees that were now separating them.

 _Why does it have to be like this…_ she thought.

~~~

**Dungeons, Unknown Area**

"You are released from your duty for the night," said Vega as he looked at a black hooded man.

The hooded man, a torturer amongst this dungeons, nodded. "Thank you," he said before leaving.

Vega looked around the area, which was unusually quiet at the moment. That was mainly because there weren't many victims in this dungeon at the moment. The only ones there were those being held by chains until their fate was decided.

"That was a boring job," Vega said out loud. "I cannot believe that Shao Kahn gave me a duty to just let someone off for the night." He then turned to Viper, who stood behind him. "Let's have a bit of fun, shall we dear."

Viper said nothing as she stared into space. Either way, once Vega started walking, she followed, just like she always had (unless he sent her on a mission of course). Vega didn't walk long before he noticed a prisoner hanging in the back by chains. Vega decided to have a bit of fun. Taking out a key, he unlocked the prison doors and walked in.

Vega almost didn't recognize their prisoner… not without his long blonde hair being gelled up. The blonde locks now hung over the prisoner's face and ended just past his shoulders. Upon hearing the doors open, the prisoner looked up, his glassy blue eyes squinted from the sudden light that entered the room.

"Ah, Paul Phoenix isn't is?" Vega said. "I see that your wounds from your match has since fully healed… well, it's too bad that I can't say the same for the scars from your whipping."

Paul said nothing as he kept his eye on Vega as much as he could, feeling very weary from all the torture he received during the past week that he's been in here. As a matter of fact, he was one of the strongest prisoners and most people would've died from extreme exhaustion within four days. Paul wasn't sure if he could consider himself lucky right now.

Vega looked at Paul in disgust. "What a scum, and an ugly one at that! But it's no matter. You may have lasted seven days in this hellhole, but you'll die eventually."

Paul eyed him. "If you want me to die so badly… then how about you kill me, you wuss."

Upon hearing that, Vega lashed out his hand and brought his three claws right at Paul's neck. "Trust me… just for calling me a wuss, I would gladly kill you right now. However, it is not my place to do so… yet. The master has personally requested that you be kept alive for now. He wants to see what more you can withstand. And if you do live long enough, we have a nice friend named Berserk who would love to play with you."

Meanwhile, unknown to Vega, Viper was looking down at both of her hands, which she brought up closer to shoulder level, and was constantly blinking… it was as though Vega's hold on her was getting weaker and Viper was trying to break free from it.

Paul had noticed this and he looked over at her with curiosity. Vega immediately noticed that he was looking past him and quickly turned around. Indeed, his hold on her was getting weak once again.

Vega quickly took off his mask, revealing his pretty-boy face. He then grabbed Viper before he violently kissed her on the lips. Viper herself seemed to be in a state of shock for a moment before she relaxed.

For the first time since he could remember, Paul felt remorse. It was obvious that Viper was here against her own will, brainwashed by the sadistic Vega. _Disgusting bastard,_ he thought. He couldn't do anything himself, but he hoped that someday, someway, that Viper would be free from all this.

Soon, Vega pulled back and once again, Viper was back to 'normal' her eyes as cold as ever. "Let's go my dear," Vega said. With that, the two of them left the cell and locked it behind them, leaving Paul in the dark once again.

~~~

**Forest Area, Near Cave**

Sonya and the mysterious male figure continued fighting. Both of them would switch between offense and defense as they tried to take control of the fight.

During the fight, unknown to either of them, Sonya's ID badge fell out of her pocket and on to the ground. Sonya sent a roundhouse kick, which the man blocked. He tried to follow it up with a punch, but Sonya blocked as well.

 _Damn he's good,_ Sonya thought. _It makes me wonder when this fight will end._

As the two continued fighting, Cammy, Lita, Chun Li, and Alex showed up. Upon seeing them, the male figure pulled back from Sonya, but still kept himself in his fighting stance. Sonya stepped back a few feet as well towards the girls.

"About time you got here," Sonya said.

"Well you did tell us to stay back," replied Chun Li. "But we heard fighting and figured that you needed help."

During the conversation, the black-dressed man noticed Sonya's ID on the ground and picked it up. The girls noticed him doing so as he straightened himself back up. He then looked at it for a moment before looking back up.

"You're Agent Sonya Blade of Special Forces," he said.

Sonya raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and?"

Immediately, he went though his pockets and took out his own ID badge. He then brought it to Sonya, who cautiously took it in her hand. Upon seeing the badge, she realized that there was a misunderstanding.

"You're Raven from… an intelligence agency," Sonya said, being careful not to say what organization he was from. "I've heard of you, they say that you're one of the best."

"If I had known that you were with Special Forces, I wouldn't have attacked you," Raven replied. "I had thought that you were hunting me down."

Sonya chuckled a little. "I thought you were doing the same with me."

Raven nodded. "I've been on a mission to find out what's going on behind the tournament and mainly find out the motives of Shang Tsung. However, since my arrival here, I haven't been able to find out anything. My agency suggested that I of I came up with nothing, I should seek out member of Special Forces."

Sonya nodded. "You came to the right place. Although our main mission here is to track down former members of Shadaloo and former and current members of the Black Dragon, we can help you with your mission." She then pointed at her four allies. "This is Alex Walker, another Special Forces agent, Detective Chun Li of Hong Kong Interpol, and Agents Cammy White and Lita Luwanda of Delta Red."

Raven nodded to each of them. The other four girls nodded to him as well as Sonya continued. "We're currently staying at… another location. We have other allies with us. Perhaps we can set up a meeting at this location for tomorrow evening."

Raven nodded in agreement. "Make it at eight o'clock. I'll be there."

He then turned around and began walking away, his scarf and two talon-like ropes on his waist swaying slightly in the wind.

~~~

**Other Side Of The Forest**

Siegfried kept running at a fast pace as he continued to go deeper into the forest…trying to get as far away as he could from anyone, from anything… the palace, the innocent fighters…

Even Kitana…

He couldn't understand why this was happening to him. He knew that something was controlling him somehow, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He tried thinking back… trying to figure out the source, but it was to no avail.

Then suddenly, Siegfried stopped running. It wasn't just his right hand shaking anymore… now it was his whole body. Eventually, it forced him to fall to his knees. He then felt sheer pain running through his veins. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes tightly as his head tilted upward. He did all his could to suppress that sheer pain.

Eventually though, Siegfried was forced to let out a scream. As he did though, an invisible energy circled Siegfied. It stood for a moment before quickly expanding out, causing the trees and everything else in it's path to shake violently. It caused him to lose some energy of his own and it rendered him unconscious as he fell forward into the ground.

A minute passed before he opened his eyes again. However, they were no longer blue…

The whites of the eyes were now completely black and it's pupils a fiery red-orange…


	32. Chapter Thirty-One

**Unknown Location**

The sun was barely rising from behind the high mountains the next day when Shang Tsung entered a deep chamber. He first passed a small dungeon, where he heard some cries for help. He smirked to himself as he heard these cries from these helpless fools…they were practically music to his ears.

After passing the small dungeon, he walked about another hundred yards before entering a large room. Nearly every inch of the room was surrounded by lit candles. In the middle of room stood a long table and two chairs. The table itself was filled with large quantities of various types of food, all completely fresh.

Near the back of the room was a throne. In the throne sat a female figure. Just by looking at her tall, muscular physique and four arms, it was obvious that she was a Shokan. Her eyes, completely red, stared at the sorcerer as he entered the room.

Shang Tsung nodded to her before speaking. "The Emperor wanted me to inform you that we are in the third day of round three of The Blood Tournament. He also said to not worry… you're time will come, Sheeva."

The female Shokan, Sheeva, slightly narrowed her eyes at the sorcerer. "Shao Kahn should know that I am growing quite impatient. I've been thirsting for a fight since this whole thing began."

"We are aware of that," Shang Tsung mentioned. "He wanted to wait for the right moment to place you in the tournament. My prediction… possibly round five, when we are more than halfway through the tournament."

Sheeva looked up a bit. "To think I volunteered for this because of Goro's… unfortunate demise. All because Shao Kahn wanted an easier way to retain the medallion."

"Do not forget that he is offering you the medallion when you win… it won't be just his you know."

"I'm aware of that!" Sheeva called out. "But you and I both know that there is a possibility that he would turn against any of us to retain the medallion. With it's power, why would he just give it up?"

Shang Tsung nodded as he agreed with her. "That is true."

A moment of silence past between the two. During that time, Sheeva stood up, her seven foot frame towering over the sorcerer's. "Don't you have a tournament to attend to?"

Shang Tsung turned his back to her and slowly began walking out of the room. As he did, a sadistic grin came over his face. "Yes… as a matter of fact, I do…"

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

In the ring, both Cammy and Kilik stood in the middle looking at each other as the viewers looked on. On the sidelines, their friends watched over, wondering who would be the victor after the match between them. Both were quick and strong fighters so the results were pretty much unpredictable. Both of them knew each other only by the fact that they were both of Raiden and Rose's chosen ones staying in the cave.

Cammy got into her fighting stance, prepared for the match. "Good luck," she said.

Kilik nodded. "Same to you," he replied. He saw that Cammy didn't have any weapons on her, so he proceeded to put his staff away.

Cammy saw the gesture and couldn't help but smirk. "What's wrong with using your staff? Don't want to use it because I'm a girl?" She smiled during the second sentence, deciding to be a bit playful… a good way to distract him.

"Eh…" Kilik managed to say. "Do you want me to?"

"Only if you feel more comfortable using it."

"Well… if you say so." With that, Kilik raised his staff and got into his own fighting stance.

The match was soon called to begin. Immediately, the two of them covered the distance between themselves. Cammy dodged Kilik's staff as she attempted to land some punches and kicks on him, which he managed to block with his arms and staff.

This went on for some time until Cammy came up with an idea to throw him off. Quickly, she jumped on his shoulders from behind and wrapped her legs around his neck. She then flipped back, taking him with her and sent him over her, flying a few feet away before landing.

Kilik then got himself back on his feet. Cammy saw that he was ready to continue the match.

" _Cannon Drill!_ " she called out as he ran towards them. She then let herself fall back, her body still going towards him, and spun herself around a handful of times. She managed to connect the move and knock Kilik off his feet, sending him crashing in to the ground.

Kilik was only on the ground for a moment before rolling back once and getting back on his feet again. He then looked around to find Cammy, but realized that he wasn't anywhere in sight.

Cammy was actually behind him and saw him just beginning to turn around when she decided her next move. She quickly crouched down, stood on her hands, and swung both legs around, tripping Kilik for the third time since the match began.

 _Damn, she's fast!_ Kilik thought after crash landing. He turned on his back just in time to see Cammy beginning to let herself fall down, elbow out and ready for the next blow. Quickly, Kilik took both hands and blocked the move. He then pushed her back up, the force making her stumble a few feet. This gave Kilik enough time to grab his staff and get back on his feet.

He then began swinging and twirling his staff at Cammy, who was almost caught by surprise with his speed. The staff went in different directions and Cammy would just barely miss being hit with an exception of a few surprise kicks.

After a minute of this, Cammy quickly pulled herself back for a moment to recover. She then attempted another Cannon Drill. However, Kilik was able to see the move coming this time and he stepped aside to let her pass.

At this point, he received his opportunity to win this match.

"Sorry," he said to her. Quickly, his swung his staff sideways and managed to hit Cammy on the side of the head. It was just enough to render her unconscious as she stopped spinning and slid a few feet on the ground before coming to a halt.

After a moment, the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up. "Winner: Kilik!"

Cammy's friends ran into the ring to check up on her. One of them, McCoy, quickly patted Kilik on the shoulder. "Congrats, mate. Don't worry about Cammy, she'll be fine." He then joined the others to check up on her.

Kilik frowned as he looked down at Cammy, now feeling bad that he made Cammy lose by knockout. He decided to talk to her later in the evening once she wakes up. With that, he walked out of the ring to meet up with Xianghua and Maxi.

"Great fight, Kilik!" exclaimed Xianghua. "She almost got you there."

"Thanks," Kilik answered with a smirk.

Maxi nudged his friend. "I must say though… that move she did when she sat on your shoulders… that was, dare I say… very interesting."

"You pervert!" Xianghua called out, nudging her older friend hard in the stomach.

"Oof!" Maxi huffed, surprised by the nudge.

Kilik couldn't help but laugh. "Let's get out of here," he suggested

The other two nodded in agreement and soon they were out of the arena.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"Guy Hinato!" Shang Tsung called out.

Upon hearing his name being called, Guy stepped into the ring and went towards the middle, tightening his brown gloves in the process. He looked up at Shang Tsung, who had a faint smirk on his face as he watched him enter the ring. Obviously, the sorcerer remembered Guy from their last encounter.

He only fought the monster Berserk four days ago. Since then, Guy stayed within the cave grounds as to not draw attention from whatever guards were there that morning, especially since meeting Outworld's Emperor Shao Kahn. The other day, Raiden once again scouted the palace Guy was in, but once again it was empty with no one in sight. It was obviously their way of keeping their true hiding place a secret. It was anyone's guess where the Emperor's official palace was at this point.

Guy stretched himself a bit, preparing for his match. As he did, Shang Tsung called out the name of his opponent. "Rose!"

 _Rose?_ Guy thought, having an idea of who it may be. He turned his head slowly a few times before spotting Rose walking into the ring. Indeed it was who he thought it was. For a second though, he almost didn't recognize her. Her normally wild hair was now smoothed out and fell over his shoulders. She also wore a purple tank top, a black skirt, black stockings, and purple high-heeled boots. Wrapped around her neck was her long yellow scarf.

"Rose?" Guy asked confused.

Rose lowered her voice enough so that only Guy has able to hear her. "It was Raiden's idea. This attire is actually a disguise, just in case anything goes down. The rest… well…"

Guy nodded to her, immediately understanding her main reason for entering the tournament. It was to gain a better chance for anyone in the cave to retrieve the medallion through this tournament. It made perfect sense now. However, he was now wondering why Rose and Raiden failed to mention to anyone in the cave that they too have entered the tournament.

In his mind, the Bushin Ninja shrugged the thought off. He then got into his fighting stance, as did Rose.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

In an instant, Rose held on to one end of her scarf quickly lashed out the other end towards Guy, who immediately jumped high over the fabric. He launched himself forward before falling forward diagonally, his right foot extended out towards Rose in an attempt to kick her. However, Rose saw the move coming and quickly side stepped out of the way. As she did, she lashed out her scarf once again.

" _Soul Spark!_ " she called out as a light purple projectile shot out of the scarf. The projectile hit Guy square in the back, sending him on his knees for a moment. He then took a quick, deep breath before getting himself back up on his feet and turned to face Rose.

Guy then dashed forward before stopping two feet from Rose. He then made one full spin and as he did, he extended one arm out in an attempt to punch Rose. Once again, Rose avoided the attack by blocking it with both arms in front of her.

From there, Guy threw some more punches and kicks as Rose tried to defend herself. When she found an opening, she did the same, forcing Guy on defense for another while. He then pulled back before jumping forward again, extending one leg out and spun himself around rapidly.

" _Bushin Senpuu Kyaku!_ " he called out. The move managed to hit Rose a few times before she was knocked back a few feet. She then landed on the ground on her side as Guy landed on both of his feet safely.

After recovering from the move, Rose got herself back on her feet and the two again covered the distance between them and fought hand to hand for a bit, both switching between offense and defense, though Guy was mostly on offense.

This lasted for some time before Rose decided to perform what she called her 'specialty.' She quickly side stepped from one of Guy's kicks and managed to get behind him. She then grabbed his shoulders and performed a handstand. Once she was completely straight, soul energy shot out and completely surrounded Guy's head. Guy was completely frozen where he stood, having no other choice but to receive the powerful blow.

Rose kept this move up for some time before finally releasing him. The move had rendered Guy unconscious a couple of seconds before, having to completely lose all his energy. He fell on his back with a thud as Rose stood a couple of feet away.

Shang Tsung stood up afterwards. "Winner: Rose!"

The viewers clapped as Rose went up to Guy to check to see that he was all right. As this was going on, the standing sorcerer looked down at the Bushin Ninja with no emotion on his face.

 _A disappointment indeed,_ he thought. _I had expected him to go quite far in the tournament._

~~~

**Outdoor Arena**

A match had just ended and the viewers and fighters awaited their turn as the winner walked out of the ring. His opponent, rendered unconscious, was taken out of the ring by his friends. Soon things seemed settled and the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up.

"The next match shall begin!" It waited a moment before announcing the first of the two opponents of the next match. "Nightwolf!"

Nightwolf stepped into the ring, checking that his two tomahawks were in place around each side of his waist. He got himself to the middle of the ring, then awaited for the announcement of his opponent.

"Jin Kazama!"

Nightwolf recognized the name instantly as the young man stepped into the ring. His fighting attire consisted of a zipped-up blue jacket with gray sleeves, black t-shirt underneath it, and yellow designs in shape of fire. He also wore matching pants, red sneakers, and red and white fighting gloves. The hood of the jacket was draped over his head with only a few strands of black hair seen hanging over his face.

As Jin approached the middle of the ring, a dark energy came over Nightwolf. He had felt it numerous times since coming to Outworld, but this one was strong. He then looked over at Jin and realized where the energy source was coming from.

Jin stopped in his tracks and tightened his fighting gloves. "I know you are a good person or else you wouldn't be in the cave," Nightwolf said to him. "However, I sense a strong, dark energy within you."

Jin looked up at him, realizing that the older man had sensed his devil gene, a part of him that was waiting to release itself. He sighed at the thought. "It's a long story," he said before getting into a fighting stance. Nightwolf nodded to him and got into his own stance.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Immediately, the two of them covered the space between them and began their match, starting with hand to hand. They would both switch between offense and defense every few seconds.

Nightwolf then pulled himself back to give himself a bit of distance. He then summoned a green energy that shaped itself into a bow and arrow. He held it up, then shot the arrow at Jin. Jin immediately stepped out of the way, feeling the arrow whiz just passed him.

This gave Nightwolf the chance to perform his next move. He raised his right hand up quickly above his head. Quickly, a strike of lightning landed just next to Jin. The force of the lightning was enough to knock Jin off his feet. Once he was on the ground, Nightwolf ran over to him. He then raised his foot in an attempt to stomp him, but Jin saw this in time. He rolled away from Nightwolf who stopped himself once Jin was out of the foot's path. Jin then rolled up and got back on his feet.

Nightwolf leaned himself then slid forward quickly, leaving green energy trailing behind him. Jin sidestepped from the move and as Nightwolf passed him, he quickly extended his arm out and his clenched fist managed to connect on his opponent's back. Caught by surprise, Nightwolf fell on his knees from the blow, then rolled forward a couple of times before stopping.

Jin gave Nightwolf time to get himself back on his feet. Once the shaman did, he turned to face the younger fighter. They then ran towards each other again and fought hand to hand once again. Nightwolf quickled blocked a punch from Jin, then followed up with a low kick to the knees, but Jin sidestepped, then attempted to jab an elbow. However, Nightwolf was able to block the move.

This went on for another minute before Jin was able to completely get on the offense, leaving Nightwolf on defense. Soon, Jin was able to break through Nightwolf's blocks and was able to land various punches and kicks on him for a bit. He soon ended it with a double round house kick that was powerful enough to send Nightwolf flying right out of the ring.

"Winner: Jin Kazama!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Jin took a deep breath upon hearing his name. He was thankful that his dark energy didn't attempt to seep out, at least this time around. He walked over to Nightwolf who was just sitting up from where he landed outside of the ring. When he was close enough, Jin placed a hand out to Nightwolf. Nightwolf saw the gesture. He took his hand and pulled himself back up on his feet.

"You are a strong fighter," said Nightwolf. "But your dark side seems to be holding you back. Perhaps I can help you suppress it."

Jin shook his head. "Thank you for the kind offer… but I'd rather deal with this matter on my own." The young man took the hood of his jacket, which had fallen off during the match, and pulled it over his head. Afterward, he stepped over the ropes and made his way out of the arena. Nightwolf left as well not long after.

~~~

**Early Evening, Underground Lair**

Nina Williams barely missed being kicked as the foot went right past her torso. Following it, a fist came quickly towards her, which she barely sidestepped from. A couple of more punches and kicks came to her, which she managed to block.

She then found an opening and jumped up, doing a somersault and a kick at the same time. Her opponent, the old man Song, stepped back to avoid being hit by the kick. Nina finished her somersault, then did a normal back flip to leave some room between her and Song. Afterward, she got in a fighting stance as did Song.

Both opponents stood where they were and eyed each other. They waited for the other to make the next move as the viewers watching the tournament watched, wondering what was going to happen next.

Nina made the decision to make the next move after a minute past. She ran a couple of feet towards Song before jumping up in the air and aimed her foot at him. Song quickly sidestepped in order to avoid a blow from the kick. He took that moment to use an open palm and jab Nina right at the base of the neck. This caused her to lose her balance in the air and she ended up stumbling on her knees. She held on to the back of her neck as the pain began to set in.

Song lifted a leg and kicked Nina on her back, forcing her to fall further, now completely lying on the ground. She turned on her back, only to be met by a kick to the stomach and the blond woman nearly had the wind knocked out of her. Song did it a second time, forcing her to exhale quickly and cough a couple of times.

The old man attempted this move a third time, but Nina managed to grab her foot, even when still trying to catch her breath. She used her strength to push the old man back, forcing him to fall back. Once he did land, Song quickly rolled back, then got back on her feet. He got himself in a fighting stance and waited for Nina to get back on her own feet.

 _For an old fossil, he's fast,_ Nina admitted bitterly. She considered him lucky… since firearms weren't allowed in this tournament so if she had her gun…

The two fighters ran to each other again and fought hand to hand for another minute. Then, to Nina's surprise, Song put both hands out and shot out not one, but two fireballs. Both fireballs hit Nina, sending her flying back a few feet before landing on the ground. The force of the double projectiles had rendered her unconscious and she landed on the ground as though she was a rag doll.

The Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up. "Winner: Song!"

The audience clapped as Song left the ring, smirking at the fact that he received yet another victory. _This tournament just keeps getting better and better by the minute._

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Sitting at a desk in her sleeping quarters, Ivy Valentine was surrounded by a handful of heavy books as she browsed through a blue book. A fast reader, she collected information from the book with great interest.

The reason for this was so that Ivy mainly was able to learn more about Outworld in her mission to get closer to Chishio No Me. Perhaps if she learned more about this world, she may be able to find more information on the artifact.

Yet, it just would seem easier for her to ask Shao Kahn himself about it. However, he was the type of man who would feel defied if any sort of question like that was asked. She has asked a couple of questions to him before, but he seemed to not be insulted by it. Even so, this sort of question was not once she was going to ask. It was too much of a risk.

She read some interesting things about Outworld, some of it dating back millions of years ago. She did notice that there was a brief mention of someone who ruled Outworld right before Shao Kahn did. However, it seemed to be a piece of history long forgotten, though Ivy had the feeling that someone out there knew more about this particular time. However, that wasn't important right now.

Amongst books about Outworld, there were also books about different inter-realm artifacts. Ivy had browsed through those books as well in hopes of any information about _Chishio No Me,_ but once again it was to no avail.

 _They're quite good about keep this sort of information under wraps,_ the Keisei native thought to herself.

It was then that she heard the door to her room open. Ivy turned her head to see Tanya come in, carrying a heavy stack of books in her arms. Tanya seemed to struggle a bit as she tried to walk over to the desk. When she was a few feet away, Tanya ended up tripping over one book and fell forward. She lost grip of all the books and they slid around in different directions.

"Ah, I was beginning to wonder where you were," Ivy said to her. "You may leave those books where you placed them."

Tanya growled in her mind as she stood back on her feet. _Whether she wins this tournament or not, I'm so killing this bitch when this is over…_

"I will say," Ivy continued. "You are a very loyal pup and I'm glad Shao Kahn has you working for me."

"What about that new girl, Anna?" Tanya asked bitterly.

Ivy wagged a finger at her. "Watch you temper dear. And besides, Anna has such pretty nails. Why would I make her ruin such a beautiful feature." She was kidding when she said that and almost laughed upon seeing the pissed-off look on Tanya's face. Ivy continued. "She's actually off duty for the night and has already returned to the main palace."

Tanya only stood there, not saying anything as she whipped the sweat that developed previously off her forehead. Ivy saw the tired look on her face. Perhaps Tanya had enough for one day.

Ivy shifted her eyes and saw a bottle a reach away. She smirked as she reached for the bottle, grabbed it by the neck, and pulled it over to Tanya. "Sake?"

Tanya was a bit surprised by the offer since Ivy hasn't really offered anything good since she came here. None the less, Tanya took the offer as she grabbed the bottle, opened it, and took a few swigs. Ivy was a pain, but maybe she wasn't as bad as she plays out to be. After all, she couldn't remember the last time anyone has actually offered her anything.

~~~

**Wastelands, Far From The Tournament Grounds**

Broken statues and dead trees were the only things seen for miles around. The dark purple sky was slowly being covered but darker clouds as the full moon peaked through them. The only noise to be heard was the whispering winds that filled the air.

This was where the demon Akuma trained. Everyday since his arrival, Akuma would continue his training using the dead trees as target practice. Without ever stopping, he used these trees to shoot out his projectiles and perform various other martial arts on them.

In truth, he actually didn't care about the tournament. He only accepted the offer to be part of the tournament in order to see if anyone was as strong he was. Perhaps he may bump into Scorpion again, who he had not seen since that one moment back in Earthrealm. He lost track of him when he ended up here. From there, he wandered aimlessly for a challenge and ended up at the tournament by accident.

Even if he won, even if he did get the so-called 'prize,' it was nothing to him. Fighting was truly the only thing that meant to him and not even the most powerful artifact was of any use. He might as well destroy it the moment he receives it after he wins.

As Akuma continued training, three male Shokans came by, all young and seem to be teenagers. It was unknown why they were there, but it was of no matter. The three of them saw Akuma train and couldn't help but laugh.

"Look at that," the first said. "He must think that he's going to win the tournament!"

"Yeah, training is for losers," a second replied.

Akuma turned to the three then. The three Shokan laughed even more. The third one spoke. "What are you going to do? Beat us up?"

Before they even knew it, Akuma had thrown a few powerful punches and kicks, followed by a fiery Hadouken. All three shrieked and fell before their life was completely taken from them. Their broken bodies fell to the ground as though they were nothing but rag dolls.

 _Fools,_ the sadistic demon thought. _Even if I did let them live, they would never know the true meaning of the fight. They were nothing but a waste._

Not wanting to waste anymore time, the demon continued his endless training as though the previous event never happened.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two

Once again, the morning sun rose over the mountains of Outworld, bringing in the first source of light for the day. The participants of The Blood Tournament were beginning to wake up to start off their day with whatever they were planning to do.

In the cave, Ryu had just sat up on his bed only a few minutes after he woke up. He stretched his arms out before getting himself out of bed and began getting ready for his day.

Normally, he would be training himself once he was ready. However, he would change his routine today. This was because, last night, he and Julia made plans to spend the day together. They planed to do some meditating before lunch. Then, as Julia suggested, they would take a walk through the forest since Julia hasn't had the chance to see the area since they arrived here.

As he began getting into his day clothes, he thought about his deceased master Gouken and his murderer Akuma. It has been some time since he thought about the two. When he received the invitation to the tournament, he had hoped that Akuma would be there. Though he has constantly sensed a dark presence lurking around during meditation, Ryu wasn't about to immediately conclude that the dark presence is Akuma himself. The dark presence could've been from anyone in the tournament.

Besides, for all he knew, Akuma was mostly likely not here at all.

Just as he finished getting his red headband on, Ryu snapped out of his thought when he heard a female voice call out, "Knock knock!"

Ryu turned his head towards the closed curtains. "Come in."

The curtain was pulled aside and Mika walked in. "Good morning Ryu, how are you today?"

"I'm all right," Ryu replied. "I just woke up not that long ago."

"Same here. If I remember correctly, Rose mentioned that no one in the cave has a match today. So I'm expecting more people than usual to stick around the cave grounds. By the way, I won my match yesterday."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you," Mika smiled. "Did you have your match yet?"

"I'm scheduled for my match tomorrow afternoon at the Indoor Arena."

"Cool, I'll be there!" Mika then paused for a moment before proceeding. "Say, I'm not doing anything at the moment. Why don't we go to the palace for lunch, then train for a bit afterward."

Ryu smirked a bit. "I look forward to it."

Mika smiled more. "Great. I'll see you at the main palace at noon. See you then."

She then left the room. However, not even a second passed when the curtain was pulled aside again. This time, Ken walked in the room with what was probably the hugest grin Ryu had ever seen.

Ryu sighed a bit, suspicious of his friend's grin. "What now?" he asked.

"It's funny," Ken said. "Back in high school, I used to always accidentally schedule two dates with girls at the same time. I didn't think you'd be the kind to do the same thing."

Ryu raised an eyebrow. "What do you-"

It suddenly hit the Japanese fighter like a brick hitting him upside the head. He placed a hand over his face in embarrassment. "Oh great… I made plans with Julia last night and now I just made plans for Mika for the same time!"

Ken patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Just relax. Like I said, I've been in these situations in high school plenty of times. I happen to have just the perfect plan so that you can spend time with both girls."

Ryu glared at the blond man. He had the feeling that it was not going to be good. However, he didn't want to hurt either girl's feelings.

"I'm afraid to know… however, I'm willing to go along with it, for now."

"Great!" Ken exclaimed. "So here's what you'll do…"

~~~

**Main Palace Grounds**

"It's been a while since we had breakfast here," said Lita as she and Cammy reached the palace grounds.

"That's because we sleep in a lot," Cammy reminded her friend as she rubbed her eyes. "Much to my dismay…"

Lita couldn't help but grin. "Ooooh that's right," she said sarcastically. "Is that why Wolfman and Guile keep bragging about it everyday?"

Cammy laughed a little at her friend's sarcasm. She then looked around the area for a moment. There weren't that many people around, most likely because the tournament was going on at the moment and most of the people were either watching or participating.

She then turned back to Lita. "So why did you wake me up just to have breakfast?"

Lita shrugged. "Well it's because I couldn't sleep this morning, and then my stomach began to growl. Since we didn't have much food left in the cave, I figured you and I might as well come here."

Cammy yawned during that. Once her mouth closed, she rubbed her eyes again. "Well this is going to be the last time I do this. I'm the worst at getting up early and-"

However, Lita didn't hear the rest of what Cammy said. It was during that moment that she recognized Jin Kazama not too far from them. She hadn't really seem him since she and Cammy went to the hot springs a while back and Lita made fun of her about him. He was standing by a fountain and was looking up at the statue above the water as though he was admiring it.

Lita then realized that she and Cammy were just about to pass him…and an idea came to her.

Cammy was still talking when they were just beginning to pass Jin. At that second, Lita stepped to her left and bumped right into Cammy.

"Oops!" Lita called out.

Cammy suddenly found herself stumbling sideways and before she knew it, unknown to her during that moment, she slammed right into Jin. Jin was caught by surprise himself. He was busy looking at the statue and never saw Cammy coming. Instinctively, he held on to her arms as the two stumbled back a few feet before finally coming to a halt.

"I, I'm so sorry, I-" Cammy began to say. She stopped talking then when she looked up and recognized Jin, who had a surprised look on his face as he looked at her. At that moment, Cammy suddenly found her face burning hot… again.

 _First I accidentally saw him naked, now this!_ Cammy thought frantically.

She was so going to kill Lita once this was over.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. During that time, Cammy took a step back, realizing that they were close to hugging each other. Jin placed his arms on either side of him once she did that.

It was then that Jin spoke. "So, um… we've been seeing each other a lot lately."

Cammy couldn't help but smile at the remark then. She only heard him say one word since the tournament began and this was the first time she was truly hearing his voice. He had a light Japanese accent as he spoke, one which Cammy seemed to like already.

"Yes we have been," the Delta Red member replied. She then decided to start a real conversation. "So how has the tournament been treating you?"

"Well," Jin answered. "I just won this round yesterday."

"Congratulations. Unfortunately, I just lost this round."

"Sorry to hear that. But what really matters is that you did your best."

Cammy nodded. "Yes, that's true." She then looked up at him. "Say, did you have breakfast yet?"

Jin shook his head. "No, I just arrived here."

"Great because I just arrived here too. You don't mind sitting with me, do you?"

Jin smirked a little. "I don't mind at all."

Jin and Cammy soon began their walk towards the palace. As they did, Cammy spoke again. "I'll admit… if the food here wasn't free, I'd pay the tab."

Jin smirked more. "That's very kind of you. And if that was the case, I'd say no and I would pay the tab instead."

Cammy laughed at the comment.

During this, Lita watched the two of them head off from a bench next to the fountain. A smirk came over her face. It would seem that Cammy had forgotten about her. However, just for this (and the fact that she instigated this meeting in the first place), she didn't mind at all.

~~~

**Forest Area**

Not too far from the cave, Kenshi and Alex walked through the forest area. Their plan for that morning was a sparring session. Both had made it to the next round of the tournament and Kenshi wanted to take the time to do some training.

Alex couldn't sleep this morning and when she saw her friend beginning to head out, she had asked him if he wanted to spar with her. Though Kenshi prefers to train alone, he decided that sparring wouldn't hurt this time around.

"I normally train not too far from the hot springs," Kenshi mentioned to her. "Not too many people go to that area, so no one will bother us."

"That's good to know," Alex replied. "And besides, I get the feeling that you're going to kick me to the ground a lot during this sparring session."

Kenshi couldn't help but smirk a bit. As cocky as it seemed, he knew she was, well... correct. "And what makes you think that?" he asked anyway.

Alex eyed him. "Don't play innocent with me. I bet you've been training since before you were able to walk. Me, I knew nothing about combat until I joined the military. And the only weapons I know how to use are guns. Oh, and I'm not telekinetic or have any other 'special' powers. So… that's why I know you'll kick me to the ground."

"Well… I won't use my katana against you if you don't want me to."

Even though Kenshi couldn't see it, Alex spat her tongue out at him anyway. "Very funny. Well, the bright side of this sparring session is that this is not a real match."

A thought came to Alex then and she decided to change the subject. "So I wonder," she began. "You mentioned that you've been traveling about since you were fifteen, roaming mostly Japan to challenge the greatest swordsmen. What made you join Special Forces of all things?"

Kenshi frowned a bit. Indeed he had his reason, one which he never revealed to anyone, even after all these years. However, he didn't want to reveal his reason to join Special Forces, not just yet.

"It's a long story," the swordsman replied after a while. "Perhaps we'll talk about it another time."

Alex was a little disappointed by that answer, but nevertheless, she respected his wishes. “All right.”

It was at that moment that Kenshi suddenly stopped in his tracks. He put his arm out in front of Alex in order to get her to stop walking as well. She stopped just a few inches from his arm, then looked at him in confusion.

"What's up?" she asked.

Kenshi drew his katana from it's scabbard behind his back. "I sense something strange… just stay where you are."

"No problem," Alex said as she took out her gun from its holster.

Keeping his sword in front of him, Kenshi took a few slow steps forward. The only sound that was heard was the cracking leaves that Kenshi stepped on. Alex stood there quietly as she wondered what exactly he sensed.

Kenshi took a few more steps when a figure suddenly popped out from behind a tree. The sudden movement made Alex jump back a bit in surprise.

The figure immediately shot out a green orb-like projectile at Kenshi, who immediately swung his sword at the projectile, making it flying in another direction. The projectile eventually hit a tree.

Alex looked at the attacker and immediately recognized the black and orange outfit the person wore. It was the man who had helped her when he knocked Tanya out unconscious a while ago.

"Wait!" she called out trying to get both Kenshi and the man's attention.

However, neither one of them heard her. Both of them quickly put their hand out. Kenshi's hand glowed a light blue as the man's hand glowed green. It would seem that they both possessed telekinetic powers… because then the both of them found themselves flying back as they both were hit by each other's invisible attacks. They flew a few feet back before hitting a tree.

Alex took the opportunity to intervene at that moment. She immediately ran over to Kenshi, who was just beginning to get himself back on his feet.

"Stop!" she demanded. "This is the man who helped me a while back when I was attacked. Sonya and I told you about it at the last group meeting we had."

The man had got back on his feet himself. He was ready for perform another attack when he recognized Alex and immediately stopped himself.

"Why did you attack?" Kenshi asked him.

The person spoke as though he had multiple voices. "We… we're after another enemy and we had thought that you were the one we were hunting."

Alex looked around a bit. The man had said 'we' but it seemed that he was the only one around.

Kenshi had noticed the same thing. "Why do you say 'we' when you are the only one here?"

"We are Ermac," he answered. "We are an entity composed of thousands of souls fused to what we are now."

Ermac turned his attention to Alex as he proceeded. "When you were attacked by Tanya, we were originally working with her. As a matter of fact, we work for Shao Kahn. However, we no longer wish to serve him. We once believed in him, believed in his plans. However, with _Chishio No Me_ in his hands, we no longer trust him. We do not know what he plans, but we know that it won't be good. He's been good about keeping the initial scheme under wraps."

"Come with us then," Alex suggested. "We're not too-"

"Hold on a minute," Kenshi quickly said, cutting her off. "How do I know that you won't just betray us?"

"If we wanted to betray you," Ermac answered. "We would've never told you that we were working with Shao Kahn, would we?"

Kenshi sighed a bit. It made sense because if he did want to betray them in any way, why would he suddenly mention the Emperor?

"However," Ermac continued. "We are bound to Shao Kahn. As long as Shang Tsung is alive, we are bound to the Emperor until then."

Shang Tsung… the name immediately caught Kenshi's attention. "You want us to kill him?"

"More like defeating him in a fight. However, if you so desire to kill the sorcerer, then be our guest."

Kenshi's grip on the hilt of the katana tightened. "I'd be honored to slay him."

Alex looked at her friend afterward. She had noticed that, at first, he didn't seem much interested in Ermac. However, upon hearing Shang Tsung's name, the swordsman acted as though his previous suspicion didn't happen.

There was something going on and she had the feeling that whatever it was, he wasn't going to mention anything about it.

~~~

**Main Palace**

It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when Ryu and Mika were leaving the main palace and began heading back towards the forest ahead of them. Thanks to Ken, Ryu was able to work things out. Since Mika wanted to meet for lunch, he decided that it was best to meet up with Julia at four o'clock. This way, he would get four hours with Mika and it was just enough time to eat and train.

Neither girl knew about it either.

"That was a good lunch," said Mika. "They served some great sandwiches today."

"They sure did," Ryu replied as he patted his full stomach.

Mika smiled as she saw him do this. She admitted to herself that they definitely had quite an appetite. Both had lost count of how many sandwiches they had before they got full.

"So," Mika continued. "For our training session today, I want to use the tire again. It's great for warning up. Have you ever tried it?"

Ryu rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really…"

"It's fun. You should give it a try. You're in great shape so I'm sure running with a heavy tire tied to you would be nothing."

"We'll see about that."

"Then after that," Mika proceeded. "We'll do some stretches. Then after that, we'll do the real training session. That definitely sounds like great training, don't you think?"

"Um, sure," Ryu replied, unsure about it. He didn't mind hard physical training… heck training and fighting was his life. However, he wasn't sure if training with a tire was exactly something he wanted to do. He never used any equipment to train.

 _Might as well give it a try,_ he thought.

Unknown to either of them, Julia Chang had spotted the both of them about twenty feet away. She was on her way to have lunch when she noticed them and stopped in her tracks. For a moment, she thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her and she even adjusted her glasses just to make sure.

Julia saw the big smile on Mika's face as she and Ryu talked to each other. Ryu talked to her as though he was talking to any other person. Even so, she couldn't help but feel just a little bit jealous.

No, she wasn't jealous of Mika. She was jealous by the fact that Ryu had postponed their plans for this. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad… had he told her that he was hanging out with Mika.

Julia then noticed that the two of them were getting closer to where she was standing. Not wanting to be noticed, Julia stepped away and out of sight.

~~~

**Beach Area, Not Far From The Cave**

It was now mid-afternoon as Yang headed towards the beach area. He had just finished helping his sister Yin with cleaning the dishes and his hands became dirty in the process. Being that the water at the beach area was the only source of water they had (not counting the hot springs which, obviously, was meant for taking baths), this was where they went to clean their hands.

It was a five minute walk to there and Yang felt like it was taking longer than that. Eventually though, he reached the area, much to his relief. He then saw a figure on their knees right in front of the water.

Yang recognized the thick blond hair and realized that it was Maki, who was cleaning her own hands as well. The young man felt his heart flutter a bit upon seeing her. His crush on her was still there. They've hung out since arriving here in Outworld, but they never actual had any alone time since either Maki was with her friends or Yang was with his own friends or siblings.

Yang came over to Maki and got on his knees. Maki heard him rustle about and turned her head to him. "Hey Yang," she said with a warm smile.

"Hey Maki," Yang replied. "Some tournament this has been, huh?"

"Yeah," Maki shrugged. "Ever since I lost, the only time I've been going there was when I was cheering on for anyone I knew. Other than that and hanging out with the girls, things have been a bit dull around here." Though she didn't mention it, she had been feeling down ever since Ibuki's death. She didn't want to mention it to Yang because she didn't want to break into tears.

"You're telling me," Yang replied. "Since I lost, aside from the different environment, things seem more like at home. Yin and Yun keep bickering at each other and they always want me to take one of their sides."

Maki laughed a little. "That's family for you."

"I'll admit… since Yin lost the tournament, I feel a bit better about losing now. Not that I didn't want Yin to go far or anything. It's strange when your little sister, who used to be such a shy, quiet person, suddenly becomes such a great fighter that you wonder if you've trained enough."

Maki wasn't sure how to comment on it. She figured that there seemed to be a bit of competition amongst the Lee siblings, the three of them competing to see who was the better fighter.

"Well," Maki finally said after a brief pause. "Since we both lost the tournament, it looks like we're in for the long haul."

Yang laughed. "That's true. We're still in round three too. If I remember correctly, this thing is going to round eight so it's definitely going to be a while."

"Let's enjoy it while it lasts."

Maki and Yang found themselves looking at each other when Maki spoke. Yang didn't know what made him do it, but before he realized it, he found himself claiming Maki's lips with his own. Though Maki was caught by surprise, Yang was even more surprised that he made this move. Thoughts rushed through his mind. Does she see him the way he does? If not, would this jeopardize their friendship?

Not long after these thoughts, his fears were put aside when Maki leaned herself closer to Yang and wrapped her arms around him, letting herself sink deeper into the kiss. Feeling more relaxed, Yang wrapped his arms around her as well.

They stayed like this for some time before Maki pulled away and a smile spread across her face. Yang opened his eyes to see this and he too smiled.

Maki couldn't help but giggle a little like a child. "If I knew you liked me to begin with, I would've kissed you sooner."

Yang laughed a little too as he got himself to his feet. "Come on, let's get back to the cave. We'll go to the palace for dinner in a couple of hours if you like."

He put his hand out and Maki took it, pulling herself up to her own feet. "That'll be great," she said.

Still holding hands, the two began walking back towards the cave.

~~~

**Campfire**

"Well it was nice meeting you," said Wagner as he looked at the new recruit Raven. "Too bad we didn't meet yesterday evening."

Raven nodded at the younger man. "Nice meeting you too," he said. He then got himself up and walked away. Once he did, Sonya scooted herself over to where Raven was previously sitting.

Sonya had just introduced Wagner to Raven. Unfortunately for Wagner, he came down with nausea yesterday evening most likely from the fish he ate at the palace. Because of that, he had missed the group meeting that was conducted in the forest, where they were introduced to Raven. Their situations were explained and Raven agreed to stay in the cave with them for the remainder of his stay. Raiden and Rose believed he had a pure heart and soul and so became the newest chosen one.

"He seems like the workaholic type," Wagner mentioned as he placed some twigs in the burning fire. He then grinned at her mischievously. "Sounds like the perfect guy for you Sonya."

Sonya playfully nudged him with her elbow. "Ha ha, very funny. Have you been eying any girls around here lately?"

"Not really. I just got out of a relationship a month before coming here. As much as we care about each other, we realized that a love relationship wasn't for us. We're still friends, just like we were before."

"I see," Sonya said, tucking her shoulder length blond hair behind her ear. "So hey, how's your search going?"

Wagner sighed as he thought about his sister Lisa. Though he had been keeping his eyes out everywhere he went, he found no sign of her.

"Not so great," the young man replied. "Especially since I don't have any leads. We don't even know if any former Shadaloo soldiers are even here. Honestly though, I've been keeping my eye out, but I'm not really sure where to really begin."

"Have you been checking the main palace?" Sonya asked.

"With so many people there, definitely. However, I look there everyday and find nothing."

"With no leads for you as of now, just continue keeping a sharp eye out," Sonya suggested. "There's still plenty of time before the tournament's over."

Wagner nodded. "I know. Then again, for all I know, she may not even be here at all. If she is, she'd obviously be with a former Shadaloo soldier." He then proceeded to crack his knuckles. "When I find them, the first thing I'm going to do it break the guy's neck."

Sonya said nothing as she stared into the campfire. She'd seen many of her comrades seek revenge for any reason. She just hoped, for Wagner's sake, that he doesn't get himself in a big mess.

~~~

**In The Cave**

Four o'clock came around. Mika had departed a half hour before and Ryu waited until it was time to get Julia from her room, where she told him to meet her when he changed plans.

Once they met up, Ryu immediately could tell that something was bothering Julia. He asked her if everything was all right, but Julia had waved a hand and told him everything was fine.

They headed out of the cave and into the forest. They only walked for five minutes until they found a comfortable spot. They sat across each other, leaning against a tree and began to meditate.

However, it only lasted for ten minutes. Ryu knew that Julia seemed distracted and couldn't get herself to meditate properly. Once the ten minutes passed, Ryu suggested that they go for the walk they planned. Julia agreed so they got up and began walking through the forest, staying on the trail in the process.

They were silent for some time before Ryu spoke. "Julia… people like Ken consider me a hermit, but that doesn't mean that I can't tell if something's bothering someone."

Julia sighed to herself when he said this. Perhaps it was best to tell him what was bothering her.

"I saw you and Mika leaving the palace together earlier," she said. "If you had told me that's what you planned, I'd encourage it so long that we hung out later or earlier. I don't mind if you hang out with someone else. Why didn't you tell me about this to begin with?"

Ryu sighed to himself, feeling awful about the situation. "If I had known that you didn't mind, I would've told you. I didn't want to hurt your feelings since I planned to spend the day with you first. I didn't want to hurt either of your feelings. I apologize for this, it won't happen again."

Julia nodded. "Just remember for next time." She forgave him, but she still felt disappointed. Ryu did make plans with her first after all. If he made plans with Mika first, that was a different story.

"Let's go back," Julia suddenly said. "I'm feeling tired."

"All right," Ryu replied as they turned around and headed back towards the cave.

At that moment, Ryu not only cursed himself, but also cursed mentally at Ken. Never again will he take any of his women advice. The whole 'hang-out-with-both-girls-and-don't-tell-either-of-them-because-they'll-get-mad' thing was not worth it in the very least.

~~~

**Not Too Far In the Forest**

After some training, Matrik decided to head back to the cave for the day. As she did, she thought about the past events since coming to the tournament.

The main reason she was here was because of her former master Sektor. If she wasn't sure of who she really was, if she didn't have any Tekunin members hunting her down, she would've never really bothered with this tournament. Instead, she would've gone into seclusion. She believed that Sektor knew who she really was before becoming a cyborg. Once she does find that information, he was a good as dead, literally.

So, once she heard the rumor that Sektor was heading to the tournament, she made the trip to Hong Kong where the boats to the tournament were departing from. She had worn a dark cloak to conceal her cyborg features so that she didn't draw any attention from anyone.

There, she recognized, from her data, her former's clan rival… the Lin Kuei Grandmaster Sub-Zero. She knew that one of his missions was to take down the Tekunin and knew that he was a good ally. It took a little convincing, having to tackle him down and all. Once Sub-Zero realized that they had the same goal, he was willing to team up with her… so long that she kept her word.

When they arrived at the cave, Matrik gave Sub-Zero further information about the Tekunin. What they do, what they've planned, but the most valuable information of them all was where they were located. The location was deep within the mountains of northern Japan. This information was indeed useful for Sub-Zero. The moment they return to Earthrealm, he would make plans with the Lin Kuei to travel to Japan and destroy the Tekunin once and for all.

Since then, they've gone their separate ways, at least for now. Matrik had spent all this time searching for Sektor and trained her mind and body for the tournament as well. She wasn't expecting to find Sektor anywhere in this Outworld, at least until near the end of the tournament.

However, that wasn't the case when an incident occurred three days ago. She saw the wraith Noob Saibot and the cyborg Smoke, who had many similarities to herself, in the forests. She followed them and discovered Sektor working with the both of them.

That was all Matrik needed. She had discovered Sektor's current hideout. Since then, she hadn't told a soul of her discovery. She knew that everyone else in the cave wanted to help with this. However, Matrik believed that this particular situation wasn't essential to their actual mission. From what she saw, Sektor was only working with Smoke and Noob, no one else.

The only other person she was going to talk to about this was Sub-Zero. However, she had not seen him around in the last three days. She knew that he was still about, training and meditating in order to prepare himself for his own matches. The next time she saw him, she planned to tell him her discovery.

As Matrik continued to walk through the forest, a figure suddenly jumped at her in surprise. The figure managed to tackle her to the ground, but she immediately kicked the person off of her. She noted the heavy weight as she did so.

She got back on her feet, as did the figure. The female cyborg got a better look at her attacker and immediately recognized Smoke, much to her surprise. Clearly, they'd been hunting her down since she discovered their hideout.

Not wasting anymore time, Smoke ran towards Matrik and soon the two found themselves in combat. Smoke began by throwing a handful of punches at Matrik, who retaliated by performing some punch and kick combos.

The two continued fighting for some time. During that, Matrik realized that the both of them had very similar fighting styles. Her hunch about him was correct… he was definitely built from the same technology that made her and Sektor. Where he came from, she wasn't sure.

At one point, Smoke sank into the ground and Matrik knew what was coming. She took a few steps away as Smoke came out of the ground and did an uppercut, completely missing her.

As he came back down, Matrik put her right foot out, a small saw extending out from the bottom of the foot. When he was close enough, Matrik performed a few kicks with that foot. All missed him except for the last one, which cut one of the outer wires on his arm.

Immediately, electricity surrounded Smoke and he backed away from Matrik as he began to malfunction. He then turned around and began running off as though he was in a rush. Matrik went after him, but eventually lost him amongst the trees.

Hopefully, he got the message to stay away from her. Without any other thought, she headed back to the cave area.

Matrik soon reached the cave grounds… and it so happened that the first person she saw was Sub-Zero, who seemed to be heading into the forest as well. Immediately, she went over to him.

"It's been a while," said Sub-Zero. "I haven't found any traces of Sektor since we got here. Have you?"

"Yes, I have," Matrik replied. "As a matter of fact, I found his hideout a couple of days ago. It seems that he planning something. What it is, I'm not sure about. All I know is that he has gained two allies from the deal. One is an undead figure named Noob Saibot. The other is another cyborg, a gray one named Smoke."

The name immediately caught Sub-Zero's attention. "Smoke? …Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure."

Sub-Zero's blue eyes widened a bit in surprise. He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Smoke… I thought he was killed the last time we were here…"

"You know him?" Matrik asked curiously.

"Know him?" Sub-Zero answered. "He was my best friend. We were both members of what I call 'the old Lin Kuei.' Things were fine in the clan… until they began to make their members into cyborgs for reasons I'll never know. I do know that Sektor had volunteered himself for this and he was actually the first person to become a souless cyborg. Smoke and I wanted nothing to do with it. We both believed that it was a fate worse than death. We escaped the clan and though I managed to get out of there completely, Smoke wasn't so lucky. He was captured and turned him into what you saw of him now. As a matter of fact, he was sent out to kill me. The last time I saw him, it was right here in Outworld. I had managed to help him realize that he still had a soul. However, we ended up separating and I had not seen him since. I presumed he was dead… but now I know that he's still alive."

After telling the story, Sub-Zero brought up another subject. "You said that you found Sektor's location."

"Yes," Matrik replied.

"Good. We'll take the next couple of days to plan things out. I wish to head out tomorrow, but I have a match to attend to."

"I have my match in two days," Matrik mentioned.

Sub-Zero nodded. "All right. For now, our main motive will be to rescue Smoke. We'll take care of Sektor and the wraith after the tournament. As much as I want to take care of them now, it's best to heed Raiden's words to not get into real conflict with anyone outside the cave."

Matrik nodded in agreement. "Follow me. At least let me you show you the location."

She then began to walk back towards the forest and Sub-Zero followed her.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three

_Early the next morning…_

In the cave, Li Mei was the first to wake up. She slowly sat up and sighed to herself a bit, feeling her back crack a couple of times in the process. _I have been sitting around for way too long,_ she thought to herself.

She had lost the tournament during the second round. With the last day of round three tomorrow, it sure felt like a long time since. Even with her loss, Li Mei tried to keep her good spirit up.

However, she had been the one to witness Ibuki's death. She regretted never getting a good look at her killer's face all because she felt that she fled in fear. Li Mei had spent quite some time training to be a good fighter and to never fear anything, even in the face of death. She felt that not only did she fail her masters and Ibuki, but also herself.

Which reminded her… it had been some time since she manage to escape from her own village of Sun Do, located about a three hour walk from here. A while before the announcement of the tournament, the people working for Shao Kahn enslaved her and her people. They had made them work hard labor under threat of death. She had seen many fall to their deaths, mainly from exhaustion.

Li Mei, however, managed to escape Sun Do when she and a handful of other villagers rebelled against some of the guards. Li Mei was the only one of the group who managed to make it out alive, at least as far as she knew.

Knowing about the tournament, Li Mei came here. She knew that there would be others from other realms coming to the tournament. It was her chance to be able to leave Outworld and start her life anew.

She admitted that the way she acted was not normal for her… it was the only way for her to cover her true emotions. She didn't want anyone in the cave to keep asking her if everything was all right.

Li Mei wondered about the people in Sun Do. Have things been calm since the tournament began? Has it grown worse since? Were her brother and grandfather okay?

She had to know.

The young woman knew that everyone would be busy with the tournament today so it would be easier for her to leave without being asked where she was going. It was something she wanted to deal with on her own.

She got herself dressed in her favorite outfit… a purple low-cut shirt decorated with white flowers, purple baggy pants with white trims with black and gold button piece of fabric on each side, a lavender sash, and a pair of geta shoes. She then got her Kunlun Dao sword, which was in a scabbard, and placed the strap around her torso.

Once she was ready, Li Mei headed out. She knew that once she got there, the town was going to be surrounded by Shao Kahn's guards. The young woman promised herself that no matter what happens, she won't back down this time.

~~~

**Outdoor Arena**

During a match, Chun Li delivered a few kicks while her opponent Sindel attempted to block them. Sindel waited for the right moment and soon found an opening as she delivered her own punches and kicks, which Chun Li blocked as well. The two had been going at it for only a minute, but to them, their match was just beginning.

The two women fought hand to hand for a bit before Sindel suddenly jumped up. Chun Li backed away quickly, believing that the older woman was going to deliver a high kick. However, that wasn't the case as purple energy surrounded Sindel and now she was floating just a few feet above Chun Li's head.

From there, Sindel opened her mouth and began shooting purple projectiles at Chun Li every few seconds. Each time, Chun Li had to maneuver herself out of the way. She had to especially stay on alert due to the fact that the projectiles were raining down on her fast.

Eventually, after dodge yet another purple projectile, Chun Li shot both of her hands up. " _Kikoken!_ " she cried out as a blue projectile shot out of her hands. It barely missed Sindel as she flew back down to the ground. The projectile flew over her head and were a few more feet towards the sky before it dispersed.

Once she got back on her feet, Sindel dived forward and slid across the floor in an attempt to grab on to Chun Li's ankles. Instead, Chun Li jumped over Sindel, somersaulting forward in the process and ended up behind her.

Sindel quickly got back on her feet afterward. She turned her head and saw an incoming punch, blocking it right on time. Once again, the two women fought hand to hand, both switching between offense and defense.

Eventually, Sindel managed to break the barrier and delivered a few punches to Chun Li's face. Chun Li backed away, holding her face in pain. Sindel then attempted to cover the distance between them.

However, Chun Li was prepared this time.

The Interpol detective lifted one leg up once Sindel was close enough. She then rapidly delivered endless kicks with her one leg in such a speed that her leg looked as though it blurred out. Sindel was hit multiple times before Chun Li delivered one last hard kick. The kick was enough to send Sindel flying back… and out of the ring.

Chun Li stood where she was as her name was announced as the winner of the match. She was surprised that she had won. Sindel was her toughest opponent yet since this tournament began.

After the thought, Chun Li walked over to Sindel, who was just sitting up after taking her fall. Sindel looked up at her and managed to smirk a bit. "Congratulations on your win," the Queen of Edenia said.

Chun Li smiled. Despite losing, Sindel seemed to take it well. In respect, Chun Li helped her back on her feet with Sindel taking her hand and pulling herself up. "Thank you," Chun Li replied. "You did great yourself and you were a very good challenge."

Sindel smiled. "Glad to hear I gave you quite the workout. I wish you the best in the tournament. I must go, my daughter has her match today as well and I hope to get there before her turn is up."

With that, the older woman left the area as Chun Li walked to the other side of the arena to meet up with her friends who were watching her match.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"Cassandra Alexandra!" Shang Tsung announced as he began the setup for the next match.

Wielding her sword and shield once again, Cassandra walked into the ring, ready for her match. Here she was in the third round in the tournament… and three times in a row, she was assigned to this very ring, which she knew was coincidence, but found funny none the less.

She soon reached the middle and awaited her opponent, curious as to who it was. Soon the name was announced.

"Ivy Valentine!"

Cassandra turned her head and noticed a tall woman entering the ring. In her hand was a sword, which was a bit thicker and a couple of inches longer than her own sword. It was what Cassandra hoped for… a sword fight, just like the last two times.

Ivy soon stood a few feet from Cassandra. Both got into their stances. "Good luck," Cassandra said with a small smile.

The older woman smirked a bit. "Hmph, you'll need it."

The small smile on Cassandra's face faded. _Wow, she's cold,_ she thought with a bit of bitterness.

Shang Tsung sat back down on his throne once he saw that both women were ready for battle. "Begin!" he called out.

Ivy seemed to not want to waste any time as she covered the distance between herself and Cassandra. Their swords clashed almost immediately. The two then pulled back and Ivy lashed her sword out again at Cassandra, who blocked the incoming move with her shield. During this, Cassandra could hear her friends cheering on for her. This alone made Cassandra more determined to win this match.

During the fight, Cassandra lashed out her shield and attempted to hit Ivy with it. However, Ivy blocked the move with her sword. _I think it's time to have some real fun,_ the older woman thought.

Ivy managed to dodge another one of Cassandra's moves. She then pulled back, lashing her sword behind her. The sword uncoiled itself, turning into eight pieces. She then lashed her weapon out at Cassandra. The weapon's sudden change caught Cassandra by surprise and was just barely blocking the extended sword with her shield.

Then, to Cassandra's surprise, Ivy's sword wrapped itself around Cassandra's sword, then pulled it away from her hand.

"My sword!" Cassandra called out as she saw her weapon land on the opposite side of the ring. Once her own weapon was on the ground, Ivy immediately swung her sword back at Cassandra, aiming for her head. Once again, the younger woman blocked the incoming attack. She realized how close she was to Ivy and decided to make a daring attack of her own.

"Take this!" Cassandra called out as she raised her shield above her before bashing it in Ivy's face. The move knocked Ivy to the floor, which just gave Cassandra enough time to go to the opposite end of the ring to get her sword.

Just as Cassandra got her sword, Ivy's own sword managed to wrap itself around both of her legs. Cassandra then suddenly found herself being pulled back before flying in the air. Ivy took a moment to whip her around the ring for a bit, smirking as she heard Cassandra shriek a few times. She then pulled her towards her and had her land on the ground face first before letting her sword coil back to one piece.

Cassandra managed to lift one of her feet and smack Ivy in the face with it as she reached her. The smack, thankfully, was hard enough to knock Ivy further back and down to the floor. The younger fighter rolled away from her opponent before getting herself back on her feet. She got into a fighting stance, ready for more.

Ivy got herself back on her feet, narrowing her eyes at Cassandra. "You'll pay dearly for that!"

Cassandra said nothing as she ran over to Ivy to continue the fight. In reply, Ivy lifted one leg up then twirled a few times, surrounding herself with her sword, which was once again uncoiled. Cassandra managed to stop herself and blocked the spinning sword with her shield.

Once Ivy stopped spinning, Cassandra jumped up and managed to wrap her legs around Ivy's neck. _This one's for you Sophitia,_ she thought before twisting herself. Had she added more pressure, she would've surely broken Ivy's neck. However, it was just enough to stun her. Cassandra then jumped off as Ivy stumbled back as she held on to her neck, coughing violently.

Quickly, Cassandra raised her sword in an attempt to summon lighting from the sky. However, before a lightning bolt even came down, her sword was once again wrapped by Ivy's sword. Though it caught Cassandra by surprise, she was more prepared this time, keeping a tight grip on the hilt.

"I definitely saw that coming," Ivy said, a smirk once again appearing on her face.

However, Cassandra had another surprise up her sleeve. She concentrated some energy around her and soon a red aura quickly appeared and trailed through her sword and then through Ivy's sword. The move eventually reached Ivy, knocking her back a bit.

Cassandra saw another opportunity then. Quickly, she charged green energy in her sword. However, as Ivy recovered, she did the same. At the same time, they charged at each other and their swords clashed. The energy caused an invisible explosion, sending shockwaves out of the ring, past the viewers and out of the Courtyard grounds. The viewers had yelped in surprised before falling completely silent, quite impressed by the two women.

Ivy and Cassandra soon clashed swords again, going back and forth in the process. During that, Ivy managed to kick Cassandra back a few feet. It was now time to end this…

The older woman placed her uncoiled sword just under Cassandra, who was still recovering from the kick. Using energy around her, Ivy charged up her sword before quickly lifting her sword up. The sword hit Cassandra at such a force that it sent her flying quite high in the air, letting out a shriek in the process. Soon she landed on her side and was rendered unconscious.

Shang Tsung stood up once he realized this. "Winner: Ivy Valentine!"

The audience clapped afterward. Some even whistled, obviously quite impressed with the match. Cassandra's friends jumped into the ring to see if she was all right. Meanwhile, Ivy coiled her sword back in one piece before leaving the ring.

 _She thought she could really win?_ Ivy thought. _How cute._

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

"There you are, mother," Princess Kitana said as she spotted Queen Sindel arriving at the indoor arena.

Sindel managed to pass through the other viewers of the tournament and was able to reach Kitana and Jade. "Good, you didn't have your match yet. I'm glad I came here right on time."

"How did you do in your match?" Jade asked.

Sindel sighed a little. "Unfortunately, I didn't make it out the winner. I am thankful that my loss was to a nice young lady rather than some repulsive person who shouldn't have gone this far to begin with."

"That's true," Kitana said.

After the conversation, the three of them watched a couple of matches pass. Eventually, the next match was to begin and the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament in the indoor arena soon announced the first of the two fighters.

"Kitana!" it called out.

"About time," said Jade. "Good luck Princess."

"Indeed," Sindel followed. "And please don't be disappointed if you lose."

"I'll try not to be," Kitana replied before getting herself in the ring.

Once the Princess reached the middle, her opponent's name was announced. "Ryu!"

A young man stepped into the ring. "So," Sindel said. "Looks like she'll be fighting a man this time."

"Yes," Jade answered. "And if I say so myself, he's quite handsome."

Sindel quickly turned to the younger woman, a small smirk appearing on her face. Jade was still looking ahead before she felt the Queen staring at her. She turned her head and upon looking at her face, she realized what she said.

"Eh, did I say that out loud?" Jade asked as she put a hand on her own cheek.

Sindel smiled. "Don't worry dear, it'll be between us. Which gives me an idea… when we return to Edenia, maybe I can pair you with a nice, young noble man."

"Um… thanks, but no thanks," Jade said before turning her head back towards the ring.

In the ring, Ryu and Kitana stood a few feet from each other. Kitana bowed to him. "Good luck to you."

In reply, Ryu bowed to her as well. "The same to you." They then got into their stances.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Right away, Kitana jumped toward him and began throwing some punches and kicks, forcing Ryu on defense. This lasted for some time before Ryu managed to find an opening and began fighting back. For a minute or two, they fought like this, both switching between offense and defense.

When she got the chance, Kitana pulled back a bit before jumping forward again. She lifted one leg and managed to kick Ryu. The first kick forced Ryu to stumbled. However, as she pulled her one leg back down, she pulled up her other leg, once again kicking him. This second kick knocked him back and on the floor as Kitana herself landed safely on both feet.

Ryu rolled back before getting back on his feet. He then ran forward before jumping up, placing one leg out. "Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!" he called out as he spun around in the air rapidly. Kitana saw the attack coming and managed to duck down under it before gliding herself to the side.

Once he was back on his feet, Ryu turned and went after Kitana. Again, they fought hand to hand, but it was shorter than the first time. Kitana pulled herself back before being surrounded by a blue mist and suddenly disappeared from Ryu's eyes. Before Ryu could react, he was suddenly kicked to the ground from behind by Kitana, who managed to teleport behind him.

In the audience, Jade cheered for Kitana. "Yes! She finally got that move to work!"

"You taught her well Jade," Sindel answered as she applauded along with some of the other viewers.

Back in the ring… as Ryu got himself up, Kitana took out one of her two fan blades from her boot. As Ryu turned around, she opened the fan and threw it forward, the weapon spinning towards Ryu in the process. He immediately got himself out of the way and the weapon went past him.

From there, he ran back after Kitana. He then does a forward motion with an elbow out and managed to land the attack on Kitana, who stumbled back a bit. Once she recovered, she went after him.

However it turned out to be a mistake as Ryu crouched himself down with one fist clenched.

" _Shouryuken!_ " he called out once Kitana was close to him. He jumped up and performed a powerful uppercut, sending the both of them flying in the air. Soon, Ryu landed safely back on his feet as Kitana, already unconscious from the last move, landed on the ground with a thud.

"Winner: Ryu!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Sindel and Jade immediately jumped into the ring to check up on Kitana as Ryu watched from where he stood. He wasn't sure whether or not he should check up on her. In his last match, a friend of his opponent Xianghua gave him a lecture about his actions when he left her without checking to see if she was all right.

However, it would seem that he got the okay to leave when the white-haired woman checking up on Kitana turned to him and nodded, letting him know that it was all right. Ryu nodded to her before leaving the ring.

~~~

**Far From The Tournament Grounds**

After a very long walk, Li Mei finally reached the Outworld village of Sun Do. Upon viewing the village, Li Mei had expected Shao Kahn's guards to surround the gates that surrounded the village.

However, not one guard was in sight and Li Mei immediately assumed that it was safe to pass through.

 _Have my people been freed?_ she thought to herself with hope.

Li Mei emerged from the forest and reached the entrance to Sun Do. As she entered, a dark feeling came over her suddenly, a feeling that felt as though something was wrong.

She looked around the village. She remembered how it looked before she and her people were enslaved. The place was filled with wooden-built homes, each baring stairs and porches that lead up to the entrances. People had gone about their business. Li Mei remembered the happy faces of those she didn't know and the smiles on those she knew every time she greeted them.

She knew that those days were pretty much over. Even if most of the villagers survived, the happiness would be gone, the traumatic experience leaving them in unspeakable states.

Li Mei walked further into the village, walking on the pebbled sidewalk. A chill came up her spine as she realized how quiet it was around her. Not even the sound of the wind was heard.

The young woman was walking for some time before she made a turn at a corner. Upon seeing the sight before her, Li Mei immediately stopped in her tracks, gasping in horror in the process.

Before her, countless corpses were littered all around, all covered in a mix of dirt and blood. The bodies were of children, teenagers, adults, and elders alike. It would seem that they died not too long ago for that most were just beginning to decompose. It would also explain why the smell didn't hit her until now.

In the distance out in a small field, Li Mei saw another horrifying sight that caused the tears she was fighting back to escape her eyes. A field of poles stood like stones in a graveyard… each one baring a decapitated head of a villager.

Li Mei looked down at her hands as the tears continuously poured down her face. "So this was our fate. If only I had been here, this may not have happened…"

It was then that she heard voices not too far from her. She turned to her right and was a bit surprised to see three men walking towards her… each one wearing a uniform, obviously members of Shao Kahn's guards. They were talking amongst themselves, they had not noticed Li Mei just ahead of them.

And they had not noticed her unsheathing her sword…

"It would seem that our job here is done," one guard said. "It's about time we received orders to return to the Emperor's palace."

"Tell me about it," another guard agreed. "I was sick of being here."

"Besides," a third guard said. "I'm curious to know how the tournament's going-"

He was suddenly cut off as he suddenly felt a sword plunge right into his chest. He turned to see the face of the young woman behind the sword before death consumed him.

Li Mei pulled her sword out of the man's body as the other two guards pulled out their own swords, prepared to attack her.

"That was just luck!" the second guard cried out as he lashed his sword out.

Li Mei quickly blocked the sword with her own. The two exchanged swords moves for only a few seconds. When she found an opening, Li Mei pulled one leg back before kicking forward, flipping back in the process. She managed to land the blow right at the man's stomach. The move forced the man to fall back on the ground. Before he got up, Li Mei kicked him back again before raising her sword and swinging it down, decapitating the man in the process.

The other guard had his sword out and was ready to stab it through her back. However, to his surprise, Li Mei jabbed the weapon at him first and managed to stab him right through the abdomen without even turning to face him.

The man stood there in surprise. Before he knew it, Li Mei took the sword out and turned quickly to face him, swinging her sword once again at him. A slice was heard and the body collapsed after, his head rolling away a few feet from his body.

For a while, Li Mei stood above the slaughtered guards as their blood dripped on the ground from her sword. Though her face was wet from her sorrow, the tears had stopped. That moment, she made a promise to herself. From this day forward, she would improve herself as a fighter. Every fight she would become involved in, she would do it for the people of Sun Do.

Keeping her sword in her hand, Li Mei left Sun Do, most likely to never return to the once-peaceful village.

~~~

**Evening, Underground Lair**

After entering the ring upon hearing his name being called, Sub-Zero stretched himself out a bit, ready for the fight that was about to start. He waited for the name of his opponent to be called out, looking at the viewers before him trying to make a guess of who it could be.

However, unknown to the ice ninja, he was about to be in for a big surprise. Before Shang Tsung even announced his opponent's name, he nearly forgot that he set up this fight and tried to withhold his sadistic laughter. Soon, the name was announced…

"Scorpion!"

Sub-Zero raised an eyebrow as he remembered the name… the name of an old foe from his past. He figured that the name was just a coincidence.

However, upon seeing the yellow-clad ninja step into the ring, Sub-Zero looked at him in surprise. It was at this very world where he last saw the hellspawn spectre… the man responsible for the murder of his brother, the original Sub-Zero.

In their last meeting, Scorpion thought that he and the old Lin Kuei played a role in the death of his family and clan, the Shirai Ryu. Though Sub-Zero's older brother was responsible for Scorpion's own murder, they had nothing to do with the other murders. It was in fact Quan Chi who was responsible. When the sorcerer attempted to send Scorpion back to the Netherrealm, the spectre took him along for the ride. Until this very moment, Sub-Zero had not seen him since.

As Scorpion approached him, Sub-Zero shifted his eyes at the sorcerer sitting at his throne. Indeed the past was catching up with him. Upon his brother's death, the old Lin Kuei had sent Sub-Zero to assassinate Shang Tsung, the very assignment that his brother failed. Scorpion had been after him then as well, thinking him to be his brother. However, upon witnessing Sub-Zero sparing the life of his defeated opponent, Scorpion realized that it wasn't the same person… the older Sub-Zero didn't show any mercy when he killed him all those years ago.

Soon, Sub-Zero and Scorpion stood a few feet from one another. They stared at each other for a moment before Scorpion got himself in a fighting stance. Sub-Zero slowly followed after.

Shang Tsung saw that they were ready. "Begin!" he called out.

Not wasting any time, the two ran towards each other, thus beginning the match. They began hand to hand, each of them going on offense and defense. They delivered their moves in high speed, both fighters extremely skilled at their respectful fighting styles.

Some time past before both of them pulled back. Sub-Zero pushed his hands out as an ice projectile came out of his hands. Just as fast, Scorpion shot out his own fireball projectile. Both projectiles reached each other and clashed before dispersing.

Then, Sub-Zero pulled his hands out a bit and spread then apart. Collecting water vapors from the air, the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei was able to form his large Kori Blade. In reply, Scorpion pulled out his Mugai Ryu sword. They raced after each other and eventually their weapons clashed with one another.

They swung their weapons back and forth a couple of times before Scorpion managed to push Sub-Zero a bit, forcing the blue-clad fighter to turn 180 degrees. Scorpion swung his weapon down towards his back, but Sub-Zero swung his own sword over his shoulder and held it in front of his back. The weapon managed to catch Scorpion's. As Scorpion pulled back after the block, Sub-Zero turned to face the yellow-clad fighter, swinging his sword sideways.

Scorpion jumped over the weapon, doing an air-split in the process. As he fell back down towards the ground, he swung his sword back down again, which Sub-Zero pulled himself back from. Scorpion landed on the ground with his feet and the two fought with their swords for another few seconds. However, having a larger sword, Sub-Zero eventually knocked Scorpion's sword right out of his hand, the weapon landing outside the ring.

Sub-Zero let his sword disperse in the air afterward. He then saw that Scorpion was running after him. In retaliation, Sub-Zero jumped back, leaving an ice-made clone of himself in the process. Scorpion saw this move done in their past fights and he managed to stop himself just inches from the clone, knowing that he would be frozen upon touching it. He stood his ground until the clone dispersed into water vapors.

Having been standing before the clone, Sub-Zero immediately kicked Scorpion in the face once it was gone. He then attempted another kick, but Scorpion blocked the move, then followed with a backhand, which Sub-Zero ducked under before delivering a punch to Scorpion's abdomen. The move connected, causing Scorpion to keel over for a split second.

Once he recovered, Scorpion attempted a roundhouse kick, but Sub-Zero managed to duck under it. With that, he turned himself fully around, sidestepping once in the process before using both palms to deliver a powerful push that sent Scorpion flying back a few feet. He landed just a few feet from the edge of the ring, but that close call didn't seem to faze the spectre as he bend his knees back and pushed himself back up on his feet.

Afterward, Scorpion shot his hand out. Quickly a spear connected to a rope came out of his hand and managed to lodge itself into Sub-Zero's shoulder. Sub-Zero let out a small yelp upon being impaled.

"GET OVER HERE!" Scorpion called out as he pulled Sub-Zero, stunned from the move, towards him. Once he was close enough, Scorpion pulled the spear out of him. He then disappeared in a puff of smoke before reappearing behind and above him, delivering a kick to Sub-Zero, who stumbled forward.

Once back on his feet, Scorpion raised his hands. Knowing what was coming, Sub-Zero did a backward flip as a burst of flames shot out of the ground where he originally stood.

When the fire was cleared out, Sub-Zero attempted to go after Scorpion again. However, the spectre had another trick up his sleeve. Once Sub-Zero was close enough, Scorpion performed a backwards somersault, a line of fire following his feet in the process. The move managed to connect, the force sending Sub-Zero flying back… and out of the ring.

When Scorpion landed back on his feet, Shang Tsung stood. "Winner: Scorpion!"

The audience clapped as Sub-Zero sat himself back up, realizing his loss. He was just about to get back on his feet when he noticed Scorpion approaching him. He stayed still for a moment until Scorpion stopped a few feet from him. Once he did, Sub-Zero got himself back on his feet.

Scorpion spoke. "I have not forgotten our deal… any future encounters we'll have will just be coincidence."

Sub-Zero nodded as he understood. Despite their past and despite Sub-Zero's involvement with the Lin Kuei, Scorpion vowed not to harm him, since he was never involved in the murders of himself, his family, and his clan.

Having nothing more to say, Scorpion walked past him and left the arena. Sub-Zero stayed in his place for a minute. Once the next match was announcement, he soon left as well…

~~~

**Forest Area, Not Far From the Main Palace**

Sitting cross-legged and leaning against a tree, Yoshimitsu took the time to reflect on the events that took place during the past few days.

Three days ago, he lost the Blood Tournament. Normally after being defeated in battle, Yoshimitsu would try to learn from his mistakes in the fight and move on after. However, this loss meant more to him than many will ever know. With the medallion he once possessed involved in this tournament, it was completely different.

Yoshimitsu's hoped that upon winning the tournament, he would destroy the medallion. With his loss, his plans were now nothing more than a setback. He didn't have much of a backup plan, but he figured out a small plan for now…

Once he knew of the winner of the tournament, he would try to get the medallion. He hoped to reason with the winner, maybe going as far as telling him what it's done to him…

No… it was too drastic. He needed a better plan than that. Besides, he was a thief, he could just find the winner's room and snatch it away. Then again, with the medallion's power, it may be too risky.

This was indeed no minor setback. Yoshimitsu had to think of a good plan. The last day of round three was tomorrow and it would be soon that they would reach round eight, the final round the tournament. Whatever was to happen, he had to find a way to get the medallion away from the winner… how, he couldn't figure it out.

While he was thinking, footsteps were suddenly heard not too far him. Immediately, Yoshimitsu reached for the hilt of his katana, which immediately glowed green upon touching it. Once he did, the footsteps stopped.

The unknown person realized that Yoshimitsu knew that he was there.

A whoosh! was heard. Yoshimitsu knew a weapon was thrown at him. He sat in his place calmly and waited. Once the weapon was close enough, Yoshimitsu turned invisible, the weapon plunging through him without hitting anything fatal.

The figure who attacked him came out of his hiding place, confused by what just happened. Unknown to him, Yoshimitsu appeared right behind him and flew down towards him. He slashed his sword out, did a forward roll, and finally landed on his feet, the attacker now behind him.

The attacker stood there stunned, amazed by Yoshimitsu's skills. Indeed he underestimated him as did the person who gave the order to assassinate him. Another moment passed before the attacker's torso detached from the rest of his body and fell to the ground.

Upon hearing the thud, Yoshimitsu straightened himself up. It would seem that another problem had arisen. This was the second time since coming to the tournament that someone tried to kill him. To him it was no coincidence.

Someone was watching him… and that someone wanted him dead.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four

The final day of round three of the tournament has finally been reached. Though there was going to be eight rounds throughout the whole tournament, many felt as though at this point, they were just about halfway done with the entire Blood Tournament.

It was only a matter of one question… who will emerge the victor of the tournament? Which one of these participants will earn the right of ownership to the Chishio No Me medallion?

Only time will tell.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"Anna Williams!" Shang Tsung called out, beginning the first match of the day.

Anna smiled to herself as she stepped into the ring. She nearly expected to spend all morning waiting for her turn to fight in the tournament. Now that she was the very first person to be called upon for the first match, Anna was quite delighted and was feeling good about it.

The young woman reached the middle of the ring and looked up at Shang Tsung. She remembered how he invited her along with Vega, Sagat, and Viper to join with him and Shao Kahn, assisting them in their cause. As appreciation, Anna smiled up at Shang Tsung, winking in the process. Shang Tsung smirked a little in reply.

After a few seconds, Shang Tsung called out Anna's opponent. "Matrik!"

The cyborg Matrik stepped into the ring. Anna raised an eyebrow a bit, not very impressed by the fact that she had to fight her. However, she was indeed going to be a challenge and Anna indeed loved challenges.

Once Matrik stood a few feet from Anna, she got into a fighting stance. Anna followed afterwards.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

Immediately, Anna and Matrik covered the space between then and began their match. It started with Matrik immediately getting the upper hand, forcing Anna to go on defense. During this, Anna noted the strength of Matrik's punches. Indeed she had a challenge ahead of her.

This went on for about a minute before Anna found an opening. Once she did, she broke out of her defense and managed to land a blow to Matrik's face. She then followed up with some punch combos before lifting her leg and kicking her up a couple of feet into the air. Matrik landed on her side afterward, but then she rolled herself to the side before getting back up on her feet.

Once she did, Matrik's fingers pulled back, then reappeared as small cutting knives. Anna was a bit surprised by this, but being a trained assassin herself, dodging these was going to be nothing. Matrik ran over to the young woman, then began slashing her sharp fingers at Anna, who easily avoided them with great speed.

Anna once again waited for the right opportunity to strike again. When it came, she punched Matrik twice, forming a purple energy around her hands in the process. She then followed with a third punch. The energy she collected in her hands strengthened her for a moment and she was able to push Matrik a few feet back from her. Before the cyborg was able to land, Matrik did a backward roll in order to avoid a bumpy fall. After the roll, she was once again on her feet.

When Matrik was ready, Anna went after her and performed some punch and kick combos, forcing Matrik to be on her guard. She managed to block them all before she saw an opening. She kicked one foot up, a buzz being heard as the small saw at the bottom of her foot came out.

Anna jumped back in a bit of surprise, but it still wasn't enough. A part of her red dress ended up being cut a few inches upward just near the silt on her left side. Anna checked the damage before looking up at Matrik.

"Why you little!" she screamed out angrily. She quickly jumped up and performed an air kick at Matrik. Upon impact, an energy seemed to explode, only causing Matrik to stumble back.

Once Anna was back on her feet, Matrik performed a few kick combos, some of them hitting Anna, who attempted to block her. She then used both of her hands to push Anna back a few feet. When Anna stopped stumbling back, Matrik ran towards her, placed one elbow back, and glided quickly towards her. Anna saw the move coming and immediately stepped out of the way, letting Matrik pass her.

Before Matrik recovered from the move, Anna quickly spread her hands apart, collecting energy from the air in the meantime. By the time Matrik turned around to face her, Anna jumped forward and quickly brought her hands together. Matrik jumped back from the move. Anna's hands ended up clapping together, creating a small explosion from the developed energy.

Matrik seized an opportunity afterwards. She jumped forward and managed to land a handful of punch combos on Anna. Anna tried to lift her hands up in order to block the moves, but this time the cyborg was one step ahead of her.

After the punch combos, Matrik pushed Anna's arm, forcing her to turn around, her back now facing her. Lifting her leg up, Matrik performed a hard kick to the back of Anna's head. Anna flew a few feet forward before landing face first into the ground. The kick itself had already rendered her unconscious.

"Winner: Matrik!" Shang Tsung called out after he stood up from his throne.

The viewers clapped after the announcement. Not even acknowledging it, Matrik stepped out of the ring and left the courtyard.

~~~

**Outdoor Hot Springs**

After spending some time relaxing in the hot springs, Jin Kazama emerged out of the men's area and began heading down the small hill leading to the main path. It had been a quiet morning to him, mainly because most of the people in the cave were already attending the tournament by the time he woke up.

For the first time in a while, Jin's mind felt relaxed. The only sounds he heard around him was the light wind and the leaves being brushed by the winds. The forests of Outworld was nothing like the forests in Earthrealm, but it was still nice enough to enjoy.

Then again, he did hear about the trees that actually possessed faces that actually moved. This was something Jin didn't buy for now since he hasn't come across a moving tree yet.

Soon, Jin reached the main path. Once he did, he heard footsteps not too far from him. He turned his head and was a bit surprised to see Cammy walking the path. She held a small duffle bag in her hand, obviously heading to the springs herself.

Cammy looked up just as Jin appeared from behind a tree. She stopped in her tracks and the two looked at each other for a moment, remembering their two embarrassing encounters since coming to Outworld.

Some time passed before Cammy spoke, eyeing him in the process. "Are you stalking me?" she asked jokingly.

Jin shrugged a little. "I thought it was the other way around." He smiled a little after the comment.

Cammy couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I guess we just both like to come here around the same time."

Jin's smile turned into a smirk upon hearing her chuckle. _She has a nice laugh,_ he thought to himself without thinking.

"So," Cammy began to say, trying to start a conversation with him. It took a moment before she came up with a topic. "I know it's been some time, but I never really asked…what brings you here to the tournament?"

Jin mentally sighed to himself upon hearing the question. He thought back on his reasons for coming here. He remembered the words from the letter he received with the tournament invitation;

_The item in the envelope will help you break the curse of the devil gene. Come to the tournament and you will have answers. PS- You've done well in the King of Iron Fist Tournament…I wish you the best in this tournament._

Jin never found out who sent him the letter and why. Whoever sent him the letter obviously knew that there was a way for him to break his curse. Since this tournament, his devil gene seemed to cease during his matches… for now. However, he still wanted to sought out answers, but he hasn't really found any leads on who sent him the letter as of now.

He also remembered his mother's words in the dream he had the night he received the letter. _Danger awaits in another world._ This he slightly understood ever since Raiden named him one of the chosen ones. Obviously, something was going to happen, perhaps after this tournament. However, that remains to be seen for now.

Jin looked at Cammy after thinking through this. "It's a long story really. But I always liked a good fight. Knowing that I'd be fighting the best in the universe… who could resist that call?"

Cammy nodded. "I know what you mean. I mean, I'm really here for a mission with Delta Red, but coming to this tournament is such a rare opportunity. It seems like a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

It was then that they heard footsteps not too far from them. Jin and Cammy turned their heads to see Wagner coming towards him. He wore a pair of jeans, black sandals, and a black tank top. He also had a white towel thrown over his right shoulder.

"Hey Cam," Wagner said. "Seems like you have the same idea as me."

"We sure do," Cammy replied.

Wagner shifted his eyes at Jin, a grin creeping up to his face. "Oh! You must be Cammy's boyfriend Lita keeps telling me about!"

Immediately, Cammy's face turned red, looking at her surrogate brother in complete shock by what he said. However, Jin seemed to not mind as he managed to laugh a little, obviously aware that Wagner was only kidding.

"I should be going," Jin said. He turned to Cammy. "It's good seeing you." He then began his walk back down the trail.

When Jin was far enough, Cammy punched Wagner's arm. "Why in the bloody hell did you say that?" she yelled out. "I've already been through enough embarrassing moments with him! I'm so going to kill Lita too for mentioning that!"

Wagner laughed. "Um, actually, Lita had nothing to do with it. I decided to say it in the spur of the moment! She never said anything to me!" He laughed even more after mentioning that.

Cammy swore she felt her blood boiling. Quickly, she grabbed the towel Wagner had with him, then rolled it up with both hands. Immediately Wagner realized why she was doing that.

"Oh shit!" he called out and began running from her in the opposite direction, trying to get as far away from her as possible.

Cammy began chasing Wagner soon after. "GET BACK HERE SO I CAN WHIP YOU ARSE!" she screamed out.

From there, screams could be heard in the forest for some time from both of them.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

Raven entered the ring the moment he heard his name being called for his match. Silently, he got into the ring and went to the middle. He did a couple of kicks in the air before straightening himself, awaiting for his opponent.

"Nediar!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Raven raised his eyebrow upon hearing the strange name. A man with long white hair tied back stepped into the ring. The man was also wearing dark blue Hakama pants, a pair of wooden geta shoes, and white tabi on his feet. He also wore a large beaded necklace around his neck.

For a moment, Raven wondered why his opponent seemed so familiar. He got into a fighting stance before he even reached the middle.

Once he did, he smirked. "Hello Raven."

Immediately, Raven recognized his voice and soon realized what Nediar was when the letters were put backwards… Raiden! He was surprised to see him participating in the tournament, but had an idea of why…most likely because then he and everyone in the cave had a better chance of getting their hands on the medallion.

Raven nodded to him once he figured it out. Afterward, Raiden got into his fighting stance. A moment passed before the match was called to begin.

Raiden and Raven circled each other for a moment before Raven covered the space between them. Before Raven was able to land a punch, Raiden suddenly disappeared in front of him. Raven looked around for a second, not realizing that Raiden reappeared behind him before kicking him in the back. Raven stumbled forward before turning around to face Raiden.

Immediately, Raiden jumped up and attempted an air kick, which Raven quickly blocked. Raiden landed back on his feet and tried to perform an uppercut, which Raven blocked once again. The agent then followed with a kick of his own, which the Thunder God blocked with both arms.

Both of them went on like this for some time before Raven managed to push him a couple of feet. He jumped up, then turned his body before kicking Raiden in the face. Raven turned forward and landed on the ground, then jumped again, turning his body in the opposite direction before kicking Raiden's face again with his other foot. Raiden stumbled back again as Raven landed back on the ground.

Quickly after, Raiden pushed a hand out and a projectile made out of electricity, which headed towards Raven. Raven saw the move in time…for a moment, he seemed to have gone invisible as the projectile went through him completely without inflicting any damage.

He then seemed to disappear completely before reappearing a few feet above. Quickly, Raven collected purple energy in his hands before coming down with a powerful punch at Raiden. Raiden barely dodged out of the way of the move and Raven ended up punching the ground instead.

The Thunder God waited until Raven was standing again. Once he did, Raiden quickly delivered a few punch and kick combos, which Raven managed to block, at least most of them. A few punches went passed him and he was hit in the face and abdomen a couple of times.

Then, Raven began to perform the same move as he did before, disappearing and reappearing in the air. Raiden expected him to perform his punch again. Instead, Raiden came barreling down with one leg extended out and he managed to land the blow on Raiden, who fell back. When Raven landed on his feet, Raiden rolled back before standing himself up again.

Raiden decided that enough was enough now. Jumping forward, he shoots his body towards Raven in high speed like a torpedo. He managed to grab Raven and bring him to the other side of the ring. He then stopped just a foot away from the ring. Raiden let go of Raven as he did a somersault and got back on the ground.

However, the move caught Raven by surprise and when Raiden released him, he ended up stumbling back… and falling right out of the ring.

Soon, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Nediar!"

Raiden stood where he was as Raven slowly got back on his feet. Once he did, they stared at each other for a moment. The viewers around them expected an after-match showdown between the two.

However, that was never Raven's intentions. He nodded to Raiden in respect before turning on his heel and leaving the arena. A minute later, Raiden did the same.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

On the grounds of Shao Kahn's palace, Havik, Kabal, and Kira walked from the palace far enough that no one was able to hear them. However, they still stayed in view so that no one around them became suspicious of them.

"It's been some time since we last met up," said Kabal. "Our time under Shao Kahn has not given us much time to discuss our plans to gain the medallion for the Black Dragon's benefits."

Havik nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It's been quite… chaotic I must say." He seemed to grin in delight aft the comment, despite having no lips.

Kira sighed to herself. "This wasn't a good idea to begin with. Us serving Shao Kahn is only getting in the way. We've been too busy with everything else that we haven't been able to come up with a solid plan."

Kabal looked at the red-haired woman. "You'll have to be patient about it for now," he suggested.

"I must agree with her," said Havik. "Patience is not exactly fun, it's not the way of chaos."

"I'm aware of that," Kabal replied. "But for now we have to, much to our dismay. You, Havik, are still in the tournament so we are still going with plan A."

"Is there even a plan B?" Kira asked.

"We make one in due time."

"There is one thing," Havik began to suggest. "If there is the case where I don't win the tournament, we'll have to wait until we know the winner of the tournament, as much as I hate being patient. Once we know, we'll ambush them when they least expect it."

Kira mentally sighed to herself. This whole scenario just wasn't making sense to her. First, they join with the Emperor, which turned out that it didn't help with their cause at all. Now, they plan to just go off and ambush whoever wins the tournament. Considering that the winner would obviously be the strongest fighter of all, it wasn't exactly going to be that easy.

It was then that Kabal brought up another topic. He looked at Havik. "I did hear of the rumor that the new guard Adon is seeking you out for revenge."

Havik's eyes gleamed with delight upon hearing Adon's name. "Yes, the one I fought in the second round of the tournament. I knew he was after me even before I scarred him. I welcome him to try to take revenge on me. I want to see how much chaos Adon has embraced since our last meeting."

~~~

**Later That Evening, Underground Lair**

"Tanya!" Shang Tsung called out.

The yellow-clad woman stepped into the ring upon her name being called. Cracking her knuckles, Tanya stepped into the ring, then walked towards the middle of the ring. Once she did, her opponent's name was called.

"Viper!"

Tanya was surprised to hear her name being called as the young blonde dressed in all green (not counting the black boots) stepped in. When she first met her, Tanya saw Viper as a lackey of Vega, nothing more. She didn't realize that the younger woman was actually participating in the tournament.

Never the less, Tanya was going to kick her ass.

The two women stared at each other for a moment, both showing no expressions in their faces. Soon, Viper slowly got herself into a fighting stance.

However, before Shang Tsung called the match to begin, Tanya let out a battle cry before running towards Viper, beginning the match herself. The older woman delivered various punch combos at Viper, who quickly blocked them. Once in a while, Viper would try to gain the upper hand a few times, managing to land a couple of blows on Tanya.

Some time passed before Tanya pulled quickly, she bent her knees down, shooting out a fireball in the process. Viper jumped up and did a somersault in the air, the fireball passing below her. Once Viper was back on the ground, she ran over to Tanya, jumped up, then pushed both legs forward, kicking Tanya in the abdomen. Tanya stumbled back a few feet as Viper barely landed on the ground with both feet.

When she recovered, Tanya performed a forward somersault, her feet suddenly covered in flames. She managed to hit Viper with both feet, one at a time, before doing a split on the ground. The move caused Viper to tumble back, landing on her side.

Both women got up again at the same time, then ran towards each other, fighting hand to hand once again for a while. Eventually, Tanya grew tired of it and decided to have some fun this time. Snapping both of her fingers, she was quickly surrounded by flames before becoming completely invisible.

Viper became confused suddenly. She swung her fist and feet a couple of times in the air and was hit by Tanya's punches a few times. Eventually though, Viper managed to land a successful kick on Tanya, the move causing the yellow-clad woman to reappear in sight.

The young blonde jumped after Tanya once she was able to see her again. Both women fell to the ground with Viper right on top of her. Viper then sat herself up, sitting on Tanya now, and brought her fists down rapidly at Tanya's face. For a moment, Tanya couldn't get herself to block, but eventually Viper stopped and she quickly got herself back up. She waited until Tanya was able to stand herself up.

Viper ran after Tanya again. However, Tanya darted herself forward. Then she slid herself low to the ground, spinning her body around rapidly in the process, her feet once again on fire. She successfully was able to trip Viper and the younger fighter fell forward to the ground as Tanya finished passing her. Afterward, Tanya got back on her feet and awaited for Viper to do the same.

Soon, Viper was on her feet and the two went after each other again. They exchanged punches and kicks for a short time before Viper jumped up as she avoided a kick. The blond fighter got herself to stand on Tanya's shoulders before clutching her neck with her feet. Once she got a good hold, Viper flipped back, swinging Tanya over her in the process. The move sent Tanya flying back across the ring before landing on the ground, just a foot away from the edge of the ring.

Despite the sheer pain that ran through her body, Tanya managed to get herself back up with a bit more effort than normal. However, once she did, Viper was already close enough to perform a scissor kick. Not seeing the move coming, Tanya was hit by the kick and it was enough to send her stumbling out of the ring, much to her dismay.

Shang Tsung stood up from his throne afterwards. "Winner: Viper!"

It took a moment for Tanya to stand herself back up after her defeat. Once she did, she saw Viper standing a few feet within the ring. The moment she saw her, rage filled within Tanya.

"You bitch!" she yelled out. She was getting ready to run back in to attack Viper when a tall figure suddenly stepped in front of her. Tanya looked up to see who dare stepped in front of her when she recognized the white porcelain mask that covered the face of Vega.

Vega's ice blue eyes seemed to go more cold than normal as he looked down at Tanya. He lifted his claw at her, only part of it peaking out during the long sleeve of his dark brown trench coat. Tanya stood there as she looked up at him. Despite being threatened, Tanya showed no emotions to him.

"If you even lay one finger on Viper from this point on," Vega said. "I will not hesitate to cut you to pieces. I'm quite sure Shao Kahn will not mind me doing the job."

Tanya growled to herself, having no other choice but to take her leave from the lair. No matter how, she always tried to make the right decisions… the decisions that allowed her to live for as long as she has. She'll even give up her dignity just to survive.

~~~

**After the Tournament, Shang Tsung's Palace, Unknown Area**

Round three of the tournament was now officially over and Shang Tsung was looking forward to a day-long break. The end of the third round meant that the tournament was going to be more interesting now. And before he knew it, they would finally reach round eight, the final round of the tournament, the moment the sorcerer has been looking forward to since this all began.

Sitting on a chair, Shang Tsung looked over at Quan Chi, who sat in the chair opposite him. Surrounding them was some of the women of Shang Tsung's harem, all sitting around in silence. One woman came in and served the two of them red Outworld wine before leaving the room.

Quan Chi couldn't help but smirk to himself as he looked at the women around them. "I must admit, you've overdone yourself. Heh, I may start my own harem once I officially settle in Outworld. I used to have one myself in the Netherrealm, but that was a while ago."

Shang Tsung quickly snapped his fingers. Immediately, a woman wearing gold clothing that nearly left nothing to the imagination came in. What seemed to distinguish her from everyone else what the fact that she had short, dark blue hair and violet colored eyes. She got herself behind Shang Tsung and began massaging his shoulders.

"Now," the dark-haired sorcerer said as he began to relax under the woman's hands. "It's been some time since we discussed our plans to get our hands on the medallion. It's unfortunate that you lost the tournament."

Quan Chi eyed him. "You are the host of the tournament you know."

"But it's Shao Kahn who has the medallion," Shang Tsung reminded him. "Before the tournament began, he gave me the right to use it. However, ever since the tournament began, I have not seen it since."

"You should have taken it then."

Shang Tsung cursed himself in his mind, not wanting to be reminded of one of the few mistakes in his life. "That's the past. However, I have been… working on a plan of my own. Trust me, with this plan, we have a better chance of getting the medallion."

Quan Chi eyed him upon hearing that. He was about to ask exactly what the plan was, but he soon found himself looking at the young woman who was massaging Shang Tsung's shoulders.

"She's a pretty one," Quan Chi suddenly said.

Shang Tsung was confused by the remark at first, until he noticed him looking passed above his head. The sorcerer took one of the woman's hands and slowly brought her over next to him, then lead her down to her knees.

"Oh, you mean Mara… one of my favorites if I must say." He took a finger and brushed it against Mara's face, who showed no emotion even upon Shang Tsung's touch. He then lingered his finger down to her neck, touching the black choker containing a large emerald jewel on it. "As you can see with her and all the other ladies, each one possesses this choker. With this, as long as I'm alive, they belong to me. They obey my orders without question and even when thousands of years have passed, they still stay as young as the day I captured them."

"I see," Quan Chi said. He then got back to the original topic. "So, what is this 'plan' you're orchestrating?"

Shang Tsung smirked. "I… hired someone, a tournament participant, to retrieve the medallion. His name is Song, a very talented fighter from Earthrealm. I have no doubt that he will win this tournament. Every opponent he has taken on were nothing but a quick job. He will benefit greatly to our cause."

Quan Chi nodded upon hearing the explanation. Their plan seems to be going well so far. Even so, he planned to stay on his guard, in case Shang Tsung decided to betray him. However, there was one thing that bugged him, but wasn't going to ask Shang Tsung at the moment…

Who exactly was Song?


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five

_One day before Round Four of The Blood Tournament._

**Forest Area**

The sun was barely rising when both Sub-Zero and Matrik met up in the forest area not too far from the cave. After Matrik won her match in round three, they met up and decided to proceed with their plans early the next morning.

Once they did meet up, they began their journey to Noob and Sektor's hideout. Their main focus; to rescue Sub-Zero's old ally Smoke.

Though Matrik desired to take down her former cyborg master the moment she saw him, it was best that she held off her grudge until the entire tournament was completed. This was especially true since Raiden strongly advised all the chosen ones not to go off on their personal affairs during the tournament and that Matrik respected.

However, to Sub-Zero and Matrik, rescuing someone was different.

Their walk lasted about an hour before a view of the cave was seen from where they stood. "Doesn't seem like much of a hideout," Sub-Zero said upon seeing it.

"I thought the same," replied Matrik, her robotic voice reaching the ice ninja's ears. "But there is actually a hidden lair within."

Sub-Zero nodded. "With the empty space between here and the cave, I think it's best that we go in separately. That way, we don't get noticed."

"That's fine," Matrik agreed. "There's a dark pathway along the way before a wide opening. Be careful upon approach." With that, Matrik began walking forward and towards the cave.

Sub-Zero watched her as she did. The thought of Smoke came to his mind as he waited for Matrik to reach the cave that led to the hideout. He sighed to himself as he realized that it has been nearly a decade since he last saw Smoke, when the both of them were right here in Outworld. What has happened to him during all this time? Exactly when did Smoke start working with Sektor and his unnamed ally?

He remembered the day he and Smoke were given one assignment in particular during the old Lin Kuei days, and to him, it felt like only yesterday;

_"Come forward, Sub-Zero!" the Grandmaster of the Link Kuei called out._

_Sub-Zero walked forward and bent his knees in front of him as a sign of respect. The young man knew that his Grandmaster called upon him because he was about to be assigned a mission._

_"I await your orders," Sub-Zero said._

_The Grandmaster continued. "Your brother was not able to carry out his mission to assassinate the sorcerer Shang Tsung. As you already know, this was due to his demise by an unknown person at the Mortal Kombat tournament. A new tournament is about to take place and we have no doubt that Shang Tsung will be there. Your task is to finish what your brother started."_

_Sub-Zero nodded and stood himself up. "I will take my leave immediately."_

_"Not so fast!" the Grandmaster called out. "After your brother's demise, we cannot afford to lose anymore skilled warriors. Therefore, I am sending an accomplice to assist you in your mission. Come forward, Smoke!"_

_A ninja dressed in gray stepped forward from the shadows. Puffs of smoke surrounded his body and the process seemed as though it was endless. There were many members of the Lin Kuei, but Smoke seemed to stand out the most._

_Smoke bent down to the Grandmaster. Once he did, the Grandmaster spoke. "Smoke, your focus is to watch over Sub-Zero during his mission. You are not to interfere in his quest. I suggest that you stay in the shadows once you arrive at your destination. Is that understood?"_

_Smoke stood up. "Yes master."_

_"Good," the Grandmaster replied, satisfied. "You two may take your leave."_

_Sub-Zero and Smoke bowed to their Grandmaster before departing from the headquarters._

_For some time after departing, the two traveled to the island where the last Mortal Kombat tournament took place. There, they would have access to the portal which would lead them to Outworld. In Outworld, the new tournament would take place._

_By early morning, they finally reached the island. The portal itself was located in the main building, which has been since abandoned._

_Sub-Zero stayed focus as they entered the building. Once they got inside, Smoke spoke up. "Have the mission on your mind?" he asked, noting the serious look on Sub-Zero's face._

_Sub-Zero was a bit surprised that the gray-clad ninja spoke. Without turning his head, he replied, "Yes."_

_Smoke nodded. They soon reached the portal itself, which was activated. Obviously, other Earthrealm fighters going to the tournament were coming here for access, hence it's activation._

_Before entering, Smoke spoke again. "No matter what happens, you will not die here. I will make sure of that."_

_"Thank you," was all the blue-clad ninja said._

_They soon entered the portal to begin their mission._

Sub-Zero sighed to himself again as he remembered the promise Smoke made all those years ago. Smoke was able to keep his word. Sub-Zero always wondered if maybe he made that sort of promise, perhaps maybe Smoke could've been saved from becoming a cyborg.

The ice ninja quickly shook the thoughts out of his head. He had to focused on the mission at hand, especially since it involved rescuing Smoke.

Once Matrik got through the doors, Sub-Zero began making his way over to the hideout.

~~~

**Not Far From the Cave**

At Ibuki's grave, Yang and Maki came over for a visit. Silently, they left Outworld wildflowers near the stone baring her name amongst others. Once they did, they stood quietly, reflecting on memories they had of her. Neither one of them was sure how long they were there. Eventually, Maki got out of her thoughts when Yang took her hand and motioned her to take a walk. Maki looked down at the large rock one more time before they departed.

They walked for about a minute before Maki spoke. "Why do people have to die?" she asked with a small sigh.

Yang slightly squeezed her hand. "Unfortunately, it eventually happens to everyone. That's the way the world works, I guess. It's the one thing we all have in common… we're all born to this world and eventually we all die. It's the worst when one dies so young." He sighed to himself. "It's going to be weird when my grandfather goes. I've known him my entire life and I can't imagine life without him."

Maki managed to smile a little. "Well, I'm sure it won't happen anytime soon."

Yang sighed again. "Unfortunately, he's going through leukemia as I speak. He was diagnosed a couple of months before we came here. The doctors gave him a year."

The young woman bit her lip upon hearing 'leukemia.' It was the same disease that took the life of her sister Rena four years ago…

"My older sister died from the same disease," Maki mentioned. "At the time, she was engaged to be married to my friend Guy. Our father had died a year before so it was a hard thing to deal with. I've been trying my best everyday to move on since then. Rena was such a great person. Despite all we've been through, she always smiled and she was such a friendly person. Everyone who came into contact with her loved her."

Then, Maki managed to giggle a little. "I remember when we were kids training in our martial arts style, Rena was serious about her training and I was always goofing around. So sometimes, I always picked on her and she would get mad so easily."

Yang couldn't help but laugh at Maki's childhood memory. "So did she ever attend tournaments like you?"

"That's the ironic part," Maki replied. "Once our training was complete, I went on to participate in tournaments and Rena didn't want to use fighting as a part of her lifestyle."

"Heh, that is ironic," Yang agreed. He then found himself chuckling a bit. "I won't forget what happened a couple of years ago. Yin was still living with our aunt in Beijing and Yun and I were helping our grandfather with his restaurant. Well, Yun once had a girlfriend named Hoimei who worked at the restaurant with us. One day, as normal, they got into a fight over… well, I can't remember but that's not important. Anyway, the fight was bad enough that Yun wanted to get back at her. So he thought it would be funny to put hot sauce in her dinner that night after the restaurant closed for the night. Well, the soup was made, put in their bowls, and Yun put the sauce in Hoimei's bowl. However, when he was serving the bowls, the blockhead ended up losing track of the bowl and it ended up in front of grandfather."

Maki began cracking up. "That poor guy. So what happened next?"

Yang managed to smile. "Well, I have to admit, the look on his face after taking a spoonful was priceless. However, he knew that it was a prank. Yun felt so bad, since he never intended to do that to grandfather, that he immediately admitted to the deed and stated his reasons, which he normally never did. Needless to say, Yun had to do extra training for the next week. Hoimei, however, didn't speak to him for two weeks."

"Wow," Maki said still laughing. She then managed to get herself to stop. "Well, it's good to talk about good memories, even during the most grim time."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I just hope that grandfather is doing fine back at home. I know there are people taking care of him while we're gone, but still."

"Don't worry," Maki assured him. "I'm sure that he's doing fine."

"Yeah. I bet you're right."

~~~

**In the Cave**

In the lounge area, Rose was cleaning up some dishes from breakfast, humming to herself in the meantime to keep herself entertained during the boring chore.

While she was doing that, Raiden happened to walk into the room. He stopped for a moment, looking a bit surprised upon seeing Rose. He then quickly shook his head and proceeded to walk forward.

However, he only managed to take three steps before Rose called out, "Good morning Raiden!"

Raiden stopped in his tracks almost immediately. What nearly caught him off guard was the fact that Rose sounded, well, quite cheerful, which to him seemed unlike her.

"Um, good morning Rose," Raiden replied eventually. "It's been quite the tournament, hasn't it?"

"It has indeed," Rose said as she cleaned off some dishes with a cloth, her back turned to Raiden. "As a matter of fact, our own plans, being involved with the tournament, seems to be going well so far. How is that 'alter ego' of yours?"

Raiden laughed heartily. "You mean 'Nediar?'"

"Yes. Though I must admit, coming up with that name was, putting it lightly, quite unoriginal."

Raiden began to slowly walk forward, heading towards the cooler. "I have to agree with you for once. It was at the spur of the moment and even now I'm regretting it. I'm just lucky that I haven't fought in the courtyard yet, since Shang Tsung knows who I am and will most likely recognize my powers."

"We've talked about this already," Rose reminded him. "You would resist using your powers if it came to that."

"Indeed."

Soon, Raiden reached the cooler and was just reaching for the door when Rose happened to turn around to face him. A look of horror came upon the woman's face as she noticed a bottle of Outworld liquor in Raiden's left hand.

"AHA!" Rose called out, pointing an index finger at him. "You may be a God, but even you can't get that past me! I cannot understand why you're being irresponsible at a time like this!"

Raiden straightened himself up, cursing himself for getting caught. Upon hearing 'irresponsible,' he immediately became irritated and he quickly realized that they were going to escalate into their first argument since before Round three of the tournament began.

"You shouldn't be talking!" Raiden called out. "I saw that bottle of wine in your room the other day! I didn't bring it up because you were being nice for the past few days!"

Rose gasped. "And why in the world were you doing in my room?"

"Daily checks my dear."

Rose blinked. "We never talked about that… wait… this doesn't make any sense!"

"Neither does that hair of yours!" Raiden mentioned as he stared at Rose's wild purple hair. "It breaks all the laws of physics! I can only imagine what your hairy legs look like under those stockings!"

That did it.

"I HATE YOU!" Rose screamed out. Quickly, she grabbed yet another mug and threw it at Raiden. Just before it hit him, Raiden quickly teleported out of the room and the mug ended up breaking against the walls of the cave.

Rose stomped her foot on the ground in frustration afterward. "I swear, one day, I'm going to strangle him!"

~~~

**Outside On the Cave Grounds**

Coming out of the forest after some training, Ryu was heading back. He looked up at the light purple sky and guessed that it was close to lunch time. He didn't have much for breakfast and was definitely looking forward to having lunch at the palace.

Soon, Ryu reached a clearing. Not too far, he saw a figure coming towards him. For a few seconds, Ryu didn't recognize the person, but once he did, he recognized Jin. The two had only talked a few times since the whole thing began, including their first meeting in Hong Kong when they were boarding the ships to Outworld.

Ryu kept walking, but once Jin looked up and noticed him, both men stopped in their tracks. Just like their first meeting, they both sensed each others energies, both having a mix of light and dark.

Without thinking, Jin got himself into his fighting stance. No words needed to be exchanged. He wanted to spar with Ryu. Despite just training himself, Ryu smirked a little before getting into his stance as well, accepting Jin's offer.

Not too much time passed before Jin launched himself at Ryu. Ryu stood where he was until Jin was close enough to throw a punch at Ryu, who quickly blocked it. Afterward Jin followed with another punch, an uppercut, then a short roundhouse kick, all in which Ryu managed to defend himself from. Ryu then attempted some combos of his own, which Jin blocked.

Then, Jin dodged a kick and got himself behind Ryu. Standing back to back, Jin grabs Ryu's arms and was able to throw him over his head and shoulders. Ryu landed face first into the ground, nearly surprised by the move. Jin then lifted a foot to stomp it down on Ryu, but Ryu managed to roll out of the way, causing Jin to stomp on the ground instead. The older fighter then got himself back on his feet.

Ryu and Jin circled each other for a moment before covering the distance between them again. Ryu was able to deliver a couple of punches and kicks before Jin managed to get himself on offense. He was then able to punch twice with both fists before a red energy formed around them. He used his left fist for the third punch, this one sending Ryu flying back a few feet.

Luckily, Ryu was able to keep his feet on the ground. Quickly, he collected energy in his own hands before shooting them forward.

" _Hadouken!_ " he called out as a blue projectile was shot out. It headed towards Jin, who ducked under it. The projectile instead hit a tree at the edge of the forest, causing black marks to appear.

By then, Ryu was a foot away from Jin and attempted to bring down a foot to Jin's head. However, Jin was able to catch it and pushed him back a bit. While Ryu stumbled, he quickly grabbed him and was able to kick him on one side of the face. He attempted to kick him a second time on the other side of the face, but Ryu managed to duck under the foot before delivering a blow to Jin's abdomen, causing him to rear back.

Ryu pulled himself back in the meantime before gliding himself forward with one first out. The move connected and Jin was knocked back a bit, but was still able to keep his feet on the ground.

While Jin tried to recover from the blows, Ryu managed to jump up and performed his hurricane kick. Jin saw the move in time and stepped a few feet aside, keeping a distance between him and Ryu.

Once Ryu landed back on the ground, he got into a fighting stance as did Jin. Once again, they stared at each as they waited for the other to make the next move.

"Well don't stop now!" they heard someone call out.

Both Jin and Ryu turned their heads to the voice. They were a bit surprised to see that ten of their allies from the cave had gathered around to watch the two of them spar.

"Awe it's over," said Sakura as she pouted a little.

Jin rubbed the back of his own neck as Ryu scratched his forehead. "It was just a sparring session," said Jin.

Ken gave them a thumbs up. "It was a cool sparring match to watch. However, my sparring matches with Ryu are better."

Maxi, who was also in the group looked at him. "I don't know about that."

Yin spoke up then. "Well anyway, it's lunch time."

"Oh good you cooked," said Ryu. "What's for lunch?"

Yin grinned. "Liver and onions."

Everyone looked at her in shock and horror upon hearing that. "You're kidding me right?" asked Cody who felt like he was going to puke.

"I was kidding!" Yin laughed. "We're having beef teriyaki and rice."

"Oh good," replied Ken.

And so the group heads back to have their lunch. However, one question remained on Cody's mind.

"Where does she get all that food?" he asked.

Ken shrugged. "Beats me."

~~~

**Sektor and Noob's Hideout**

After entering the cave, Sub-Zero was surprised to see how narrow the place was. He realized that his hunt for Smoke was going to take longer than he expected. Lighting a torch he took with him as a precaution, he headed down the long, narrow hall.

Some time passed, but soon Sub-Zero reached the large area Matrik mentioned. He saw the destroyed tech that she had mentioned to him, but other than that, all was quiet around him.

"I get the feeling that this may have been a wild goose chase," he muttered to himself.

It was at that moment that he heard footsteps behind him. Sub-Zero, thinking that it was Matrik, quickly turned himself around, but saw no one there. He began to get suspicious then, especially once silence followed after the footsteps.

As a matter of fact, it became _too_ silent.

Before Sub-Zero had the chance to move, he was suddenly hit from behind as though an uppercut was performed. He found himself stumbling back, dropping the torch in the process, the flames immediately blown out to nothing upon impact.

Sub-Zero turned himself around, then got back on his feet. His eyes widened immediately upon seeing the person before him… this person now being a gray cyborg.

"Smoke!" Sub-Zero called out. Even with his old friend standing a few feet from him, it still surprised him that he still existed, even after all this time.

However, upon seeing Sub-Zero, Smoke got himself into his fighting stance. It was what Sub-Zero expected. Smoke was indeed being controlled.

If only Sub-Zero was able to get to his arm panel, he would be able to reactivate Smoke and hopefully, bring him back to who he was the last time he saw him.

Being cautious, Sub-Zero got into his own fighting stance, prepared for any of Smoke's attacks. He wanted to try to talk to him, try to remind Smoke of who he was, perhaps maybe try to trigger old memories. However, it would seem that it would most likely be of no use this time around.

It seemed as though the only way through this was to fight, even if it meant Sub-Zero's own death.

Before either of them moved, however, a sudden crash was heard and one of the stone walls quickly crumbled. Sub-Zero and Smoke stepped back, both surprised by what just happened.

Once the smoke cleared, Sub-Zero realized that Matrik was lying amongst the rubble, part of her covered in black marks from what looked like from battle. Immediately, Sub-Zero ran over to her to see if she was all right. During that time, Smoke managed to make his escape.

Before he could reach her, another figured stepped out from the hole that was just formed. Sub-Zero looked over at the figure and saw that he was completely a black form with the exception of a pair of glowing white eyes.

"Seems that she has an ally as well," the figure said, his voice deep.

Matrik managed to speak. "Be careful," she warned Sub-Zero. "Noob Saibot is definitely a strong opponent."

Sub-Zero nodded as he stood up to look at Noob. For what seemed like sometime they were like this. During that time, Sub-Zero couldn't help but wonder why Noob seemed so familiar. Perhaps a foe from the past? He tried to pinpoint it in his mind, but couldn't come up with anything.

Unknown to Sub-Zero, Noob immediately recognized him, realizing exactly who Sub-Zero was. However, he chose not to reveal himself just yet. He decided to save it for another time.

"I suppose you're the one running this whole thing?" asked Sub-Zero.

"As is Sektor," replied Noob. "But that's not important. You and Matrik invaded our hideout."

"Where's Sektor?" Sub-Zero questioned as he got himself in a fighting stance.

"That's none of your concern," Noob answered as he got into a fighting stance as well.

Without saying anything else, Sub-Zero launched after Noob and the two engaged in battle. Both of them performed various combos while trying to defend each other in the process. Sub-Zero noted how fast Noob was and came to the realization that was indeed going to be a challenge.

Sub-Zero jumped up and performed a roundhouse, which Noob ducked under before following with a back hand to the chest. Sub-Zero was able to block the move before Noob jumped back. He lashed a hand out and a handful of shurikens were thrown at Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero dodged from the small weapons and they ended up whizzing passed him and planted themselves against the opposite wall.

Once he recovered, Sub-Zero quickly shot out an ice projectile. Noob ended up shooting out his own projectile, while looked ghostly like with a very dark purple tint around it. To both fighters' surprise, their projectiles collided with one another, causing a small explosions before dispersing in the air.

During the fight, Matrik managed to get herself back on her feet. Still a bit weary from her previous battle with Noob, Matrik could only watch the fight before her.

Some time passed before Sub-Zero and Noob stopped fighting, realizing that they were quite even. Then, to Sub-Zero's surprise, Noob quickly sank into the floor and it seemed as though he disappeared. Sub-Zero stayed on his guard, waiting for Noob to come back.

However, Matrik was able to walk a few feet towards him. "There's nothing else we can do," Matrik said. "Noob is too strong. We need to make another plan."

Sub-Zero clenched his teeth in frustration. Unfortunately, Matrik was right. Despite being prepared to fight Sektor's ally, they had not counted on his strength and brutality. However, this would mean that rescuing Smoke would have to be postponed. How long, he wasn't sure.

"Let's go," Sub-Zero finally said and began walking. Matrik followed him as they made their way out of the labyrinth.

~~~

_Over a Decade Ago…_

_In a dark labyrinth, a young man looked down at the well that was covered with a heavy stone. "So," he said to the old man who stood behind him. "You say that the sword lies within here?"_

_The old man nodded. "Yes. You will find the sword in that well."_

_A few days ago while in Japan, the old man had approached him after winning a duel. The old man was impressed with his fighting abilities and felt that a powerful sword he knew about in China would reflect his skills. Though the younger one didn't buy his story right away, the old man was able to convince him to go with him. He considered himself the greatest swordsman in the world and this sword may be able to reflect that._

_The young man's thoughts were interrupted by the old man. "I wish that I could help you with the stone. However, my strength is not what it used to be."_

_Not minding, the young man accepted the task and he began to pry the heavy stone off the cover of the well. Soon, he managed to get the stone completely off as it fell over to the ground just two feet down._

_However, upon peering into the depths of the well, a green blast of energy suddenly hit his face and he fell back completely stunned._

_It would be the last thing the young man would ever see._

_The old man laughed sadistically and he suddenly shape shifted into a more youthful man with long black hair and a goatee. Raising a hand, he collected the green energy that had emerged out of the well. The young man laid on the ground, weakened by what just happened as the realization of suddenly losing his sight came to him._

_"It would seem that your ego has gotten the best of you," the shape shifter said. "Remember the name Shang Tsung as you die alone in this labyrinth."_

_With that, the sadistic sorcerer left the young man to die._

~~~

**Present Day, Forest Area**

Clenching on to the hilt of his sword, Kenshi continued with his training, even despite the thoughts of what happened to him long ago. He swung his blade in different directions, surrounded by only silence.

Obviously, Kenshi was able to live through his ordeal despite losing his vision. It turned out that the sword that Shang Tsung offered really did exist and, having unworldly powers, lead Kenshi out of the depths of the labyrinth.

That same day, the sword spoke to him and told him that the souls that the sorcerer had consumed were once Warrior Kings, a group of fighters hailing from both Asia and Europe. It also told Kenshi that he was a descendent of these warriors.

From that moment on, Kenshi vowed revenge as well as redemption, constantly training to better himself and get his other remaining senses on track. He would defeat Shang Tsung not only to redeem himself, but to also rescue the souls of his ancestors and return them to their resting place… that being the very sword he now held in his hands.

Over a year ago, he was discovered by Sonya and Jax, both who believed that he had great skills to join Special Forces. At first Kenshi wasn't interested. However, upon hearing that they had access to portals which would take them to Outworld, the swordsman realized that it was a chance to exact revenge against the sorcerer. After some tests, he was soon accepted as a free agent.

There, he met new allies, joining with the Outerworld Investigation Agency branch of Special Forces. He never minded gaining new allies, it was what he did during his travels as a swordsman after all.

However, his allies in Special Forces were different. Unlike his quiet nature and meeting a majority of people with the same demeanor in his travels, most of the soldiers he met had upbeat personalities and were quite loud at times. They always tried to include Kenshi in activities during their free time, even though he told them numerous times that he preferred a quiet evening. There were, however, a few times where he was convinced to go mainly because he figured that they would be satisfied for a while before the cycle starts again.

Even so, it was the first time in his life where he was able to relax for once. They always told him that he needed to do so anyway. A couple of times, they tried everything they could to crack even a small smile, but they always failed.

Out of all of his new OIA allies, Alex Walker seemed to stand out a bit more, probably because she was an introvert (though less so than he was) and was a lot less wild than the other soldiers. She had once told him that, as much as she didn't mind spending time with their colleagues, that even she needed time to herself. Between this, as well as working well together under many assignments, the two of them had long formed an understanding between each other. Perhaps he could call what they had 'a comfortable companionship.'

However, it didn't mean that he was going to go off and tell her everything. He preferred to keep his problems to himself anyway. It just meant that when he talked to her, he was able to be more like himself without being told to loosen up. Perhaps if they knew of his past, things may be different.

Then again, he didn't want pity... not from anyone.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard his name being called. Kenshi recognized the voice immediately. "Alex?"

"Hey," Alex called out. "I figured you'd be here. I wanted to tell you that lunch is ready. We're having beef teriyaki and rice."

Kenshi debated in his mind whether or not to go now or wait later. However, his rumbling stomach made the decision for him. He placed his sword back in it's scabbard before walking towards Alex. "Sounds good," he said.

As they walked back to the cave area, Alex spoke. "Just to warn you, Rose is not in a good mood today. I think she and Raiden got into an argument again."

"Figured," Kenshi replied. "You would think that they'd get along."

"Tell me about it," Alex agreed. "Other than that, it's been pretty dull, though I heard there was a good sparring session between Jin and Ryu that I missed." She then changed the topic. "Well, round four begins tomorrow and you and I will be in. Have any predictions?"

Kenshi shrugged a little. "I don't know. I try to focus on the fight at hand really."

"Good for you," Alex said. "I'm sure I'll-"

It was then that she ended up tripping over a rock and began to fall forward, letting out a small yelp in the process. Sensing her fall, Kenshi quickly extended his arms out and he managed to catch her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Alex sighed of relief once he was able to stop her fall.

"That was a close one," she said as she straightened herself back up. Afterward, she eyed him. "Hey, don't you have telekinesis to do that?"

Kenshi shrugged again. "I didn't think about it at the time."

“I'd hate to know what would happen if you 'didn't think about it' from ten feet away,” she joked. It was then that Alex realized that Kenshi still had one arm around her. She laughed a little and smiled a bit. "Um, you can let go now."

Once she said that, Kenshi realized where his arm was and he pulled it back. "Sorry," he said.

"Hey!" someone called out not too far from them. Alex turned her head and saw Sonya waving over to them from the edge of the forest. "You two better hurry up, we're almost out of beef!"

Immediately, Kenshi and Alex walked over to Sonya. Kenshi went on ahead as Sonya pulled on Alex's arm a bit. Alex raised an eyebrow at her friend upon see the smirk on her face. It took a moment for Alex to realize exactly why Sonya was smirking at her like that.

"It's not like that," Alex quickly said.

Sonya's smirk turned into a grin. "Whatever you say Alex. I just thought that since you two-"

"Don't even start," Alex warned.

"All right, I won't mention it again," Sonya replied. From there, they began to head back.

~~~

**Near The Cave An Hour Later**

Coming back empty handed, Sub-Zero and Matrik returned to the cave area. Neither of them said anything since escaping the hideout. Both of them realized that, the moment they made their escape, Noob, Sektor, and Smoke were definitely going to move their business elsewhere.

Perhaps they should've held their rescue mission off until after the tournament.

Once they were in view of the campsite, the only person outside was one of the newer chosen ones, Ashrah. They seemed worn from what looked like a battle. However, that wasn't what caught Ashrah's attention. What really caught her attention was Matrik's cyborg technology.

The white-clad woman stood up, catching Sub-Zero and Matrik's attention. Both of them stopped in their tracks as Ashrah approached them.

"Is everything all right?" she asked. "You two looked as though you've returned from battle."

Sub-Zero nodded to her. "It's a long story. We prefer not to discuss it."

Ashrah nodded once, understanding. She then looked over at Matrik. "I'm curious to know, looking at your nano-technology. Do you happen to know someone by the name of Noob Saibot?"

This immediately caught their attention and Sub-Zero grim look seemed to brighten a little bit, more out of curiosity than anything. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"I've been after him since I came to Outworld. I knew him during my time in the Netherrealm, and you could say that he 'assisted' me in escaping that dreadful place. However, he was able to come here somehow and he has something of value that I wish to get back."

"I see," said Sub-Zero. "Matrik and I were originally after another cyborg named Sektor. Only during the past week we've discovered that he was allied with Noob and Smoke for reasons we're unsure of, other than the fact that they're out to achieve their own agendas. Obviously, you know of Smoke since you recognized Matrik's technology. We think that, for whatever reason, they're allied for their own personal gain. It doesn't seem like they are working with the Emperor of Outworld."

"It seems that we have a common foe," Ashrah said. "Perhaps we should ally together. We can help each other take down the three."

"Actually," Matrik spoke up. "Smoke is being controlled by the both of them and was once a friend of Sub-Zero. We're hoping to free him from their control."

Ashrah nodded again, now realizing why Smoke nearly malfunctioned back in the Netherrealm. "Before I left the Netherrealm, Smoke seemed to malfunction, as though there was some good in him. Even those with an once of good cannot survive the depths of the Netherrealm."

"Seems like there is some humanity left after all," said Sub-Zero feeling hopeful for the first time since early this morning. "The thing is, since we invaded their hideout, they'll obviously find a new place to hide."

"I understand. For now, rest for the day and during the next few days, we'll make preparations. I assume your main focus will be to rescue Smoke, which will be our first task."

Soon, the three of them began heading back into the cave. As they did, they walked over a shadow on the ground that was coming from the tree. Unknown to any of them, two small glowing white circles laid within the shadows… the small circles seeming as though they represented a pair of eyes…

It was why Noob escaped after battling with Sub-Zero. He just had to know exactly where they were hiding. He was a bit surprised to see that they were also allied with Ashrah, but now wasn't the time to worry about how she ended up here to begin with since he thought she was staying at the palace.

Either way, he was going to use their 'hideout' to his advantage in the future.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six

**Unknown Area**

Sitting in this throne room in the early morning hours, Shao Kahn thought things over. For one thing, today began round four of the tournament, twenty-four days after the fighters' arrival in Outworld. With more fighters being eliminated, it wouldn't be long before they reached the final round of the tournament.

The developing army was growing by the minute as some of the most skilled warriors accepted his offer. Those who denied, however, were captured and placed in the dungeon, never to leave the place alive.

Actually, it would seem that, at this point, less and less fighters were being captured and placed in the dungeon. As of now, if he was correct, there were only three prisoners down there. That number included Paul Phoenix, who had so far lasted the longest and still was surviving.

Shao Kahn also thought about the world of Edenia and how he was the ruler of that realm so long ago. He had managed to kill their king, Jerrod, and took his Queen, Sindel, as his own bride, also taking in Princess Kitana as his stepdaughter. He could never forget the satisfaction he got from taking over the royal family and their world for his own personal gain. When the Queen committed suicide in order to protect the realm of Earth from the same devastation as Edenia, it still didn't stop the Emperor from having her resurrected thousands of years later.

Sindel, of course, was eventually freed by Kitana, who reminded her of her true past. To add insult to injury, he was never able to completely merge Earthrealm, all because of Raiden's meddling chosen ones at the time.

It was then, coincidentally, that one of his minions, Mileena, came into the throne room. She was the clone of Kitana, a living being made from both Kitana's blood and a tarkatan's blood (it was Shang Tsung's doing. Why he used a tarkatan's blood to begin with was a bit of a mystery). Since he once considered Kitana his daughter, he had always considered Mileena the same, but one he favored more, obviously because she was much more loyal.

Going down the walkway, Mileena approached the Emperor. She stopped a few feet from the throne before bending down to her knees and bowing her head down in respect.

"Father," Mileena said. She was the only one of the generals who can get away with not calling him 'Emperor' or 'lord' in greeting. "I came to inform you that we were forced to kill one of the prisoners, the one named Brent Archer. He was trying to escape the dungeon and we had no other options."

Shao Kahn nodded. "It's no surprise. No matter. Since I'm in a descent mood, I have an assignment for you."

Mileena stood herself up as she awaited orders.

"Though you failed the first time to take down the royal family of Edenia, I will give you a second chance. However, there will be a bit of a change. I want you to bring Princess Kitana to me, preferably alive. With her in my possession, I want to prove my superiority for when our plans take fold."

Mileena nodded as she understood his reasons. "I gladly accept the task. I will not fail you this time."

"Good," Shao Kahn said. "Now leave at once."

Mileena bowed to him before taking her leave.

~~~

**Palace Grounds**

Walking back to the cave from lunch, Yun and Yang were passing through the palace grounds. "That was a good lunch," said Yang.

"Tell me about it," agreed Yun. "Hopefully Yin doesn't get mad that we skipped out on the lunch she made today."

"Something tells me she'll find out anyway," Yang sighed.

Then Yun changed the subject. "So you and Maki, eh?"

Yang found himself smirking a bit upon hearing his new girlfriend's name. "Yeah, I didn't think she'd like me back, but she did after all."

Yun grinned mischievously. "So, did you like… eh, do anything yet?"

"Yun, that's none of your business! And besides, we haven't even been together a week!"

"Yeah, but-" Yun began to say. It was at that moment that he spotted Anna walking not too far from them. The young woman wore a simple shoulder less red dress with plain dark brown stockings, red elbow-length gloves, and red high-heeled shoes.

It occurred to Yun that he hadn't seen Anna since their match during the second round of the tournament, the very match he lost. Because it's been some time since, he realized that it could be a while before he saw Anna again. He just had to talk to her right this second while he had the chance.

"Hey Yang," Yun said. "You go on ahead. I just remembered something kind of important I have to take care of."

Yang raised an eyebrow at his brother suspiciously. "And what is this 'kind of important' thing you have to take care of?"

"Don't worry about it now," Yun said as he tried his best to convince Yang. "We'll talk about it when I come back."

Though still suspicious, Yang decided to just let Yun do what he wanted. "Just be back soon," he said. He then took his leave.

Walking the opposite direction very slowly, Yun waited until his brother was far enough from the grounds. Yun turned to where he last saw Anna. Lucky for him, she was now sitting on one of the wooden benches near the fountain. It was now or never.

The young man approached Anna and sat himself down. "Nice day, isn't it?" he asked.

Anna hadn't noticed Yun sitting next to her until he spoke. She turned her head to him and smiled upon seeing him. "Well, I haven't seen you around since I beat you in the tournament," she said.

Yun sighed a little, sort of wishing that she remembered him for another reason. "Yeah, it's been a while. How have you been?"

"Oh, just fine," Anna said seductively. From there, she decided to have a bit of fun. She had nothing to do today anyway. "Are you waiting for your girlfriend?" she asked.

Yun smiled a little. "Um, actually, I'm not seeing anybody right now."

Anna pouted her lips a little. "Oh that's too bad. I'm surprised that a handsome man like you is single."

Upon hearing 'handsome' Yun suddenly felt his cheeks burn red. She definitely knew how to flatter a guy.

Anna continued. "So, how old are you?"

"Twenty," Yun replied.

"Oh good, just four years younger."

She then got up and stood in front of Yun. Slowly, she took his blue and yellow hat in her hands before placing it on her own head. Yun couldn't help but look up at Anna in adoration.

"I'm going to be having dinner here at around seven o'clock," Anna mentioned. "Why don't you come… pay me a visit around eight o'clock? I'm in room two seventy-four on the second floor."

Yun managed to snap out of it enough to speak. "Sure, I'll be there eight o'clock sharp."

Anna smiled seductively as she lightly brushed her fingers on his cheek. "Good. I'll see you then." Then she turned on her heel and walked away from Yun and towards the palace.

Yun watched her walk away until the crowd blocked his view. He looked down at his watch… he had seven hours to kill. Yang was expecting him to return soon to tell him of the 'important' thing he had to do. Yun made a decision then… it was best that he avoided the cave for the remainder of the day.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

After starting up the campfire, Raven sat down in front of it. Despite still being the middle of the day, the air seemed to get a bit cold. Besides the blankets that were provided for him, this was the only other way to get warm. Sitting in front of the campfire was more relaxing anyway.

Since coming to the cave, there hasn't been much progress in his or Special Forces' mission. At least Raven wasn't the only one having trouble. He still wasn't into the idea of working with other people, but if it meant getting through his mission quickly, then he might as well go along with it.

While sitting in front of the campfire, Raven spotted Nina Williams approaching the cave that was behind him. She was the assassin he had heard of plenty of times, and a ruthless one at that. Of all places, he never expected her to end up in a place like this.

Having nothing else to do, once Nina was beginning to past him, Raven spoke. "What's your purpose for being here?" he asked.

Nina stopped herself upon hearing his voice. Without turning her head, she replied. "I'm after someone. What about you?"

Raven paused before answering. He normally didn't talk about his missions. However, with little leads, he might as well mention something about it. Besides, if she knew anything, it was worth a try.

"Let's just say it's about Shang Tsung," he said.

"Hmph," Nina said as she slightly turned her head to him. She didn't know why, but she suddenly had the intentions to tell him her name, whether he knew it or now. "I'm Nina. Those who know my name usually don't live… however, I've been letting that slide for over the past three weeks."

Raven turned his head to her as well. "That's usually the way it is for me as well. I'm Raven."

A small smirk came over Nina's face. "Hmph. As they say… quote the Raven, nevermore."

With that, she turned her head forward and began walking back towards the cave.

~~~

**Forest Area, Near The Cave**

Despite losing the tournament, Sakura trained herself as she did everyday. With the twin tails of her white headband swaying in the light wind, she punched and kicked in the air, letting out a few battle cries during the process.

Aside from school on occasion (in which she graduated from just a few weeks before the tournament) and her friends, she was very dedicated to fighting. For three years, it was nearly all she thought about. Ever since watching her idol Ryu in a tournament, she wished to be like him and she was able to teach herself to fight, learning much quicker than most self-taught fighters. Her ultimate wish was to be trained by Ryu himself.

Though the two of them had talked a couple of times since arriving in Outworld, Ryu still insisted that he was still in need to train himself before he took on any student, though he admired her fighting spirit. Though Sakura had accepted this, a part of her was a bit disappointed. She admitted to having a bit of a crush on him when she first met him. She grew out of it since… or hast she? She wasn't sure, really. Once in a while, she found herself in conflict some times.

Either way, she made the decision not to pursue anything. Sakura knew that her friend Mika liked being around him and had the idea that she may have a liking to him, even if she didn't admit it.

 _I guess it may be for the best,_ Sakura thought.

While Sakura continued to train, she didn't notice Jin walking back. Returning from his own training, Jin spotted Sakura. He stopped for a moment and watched her train out of curiosity. She wasn't necessarily in full concentration as she should be, but he saw that she indeed had the dedication, which was impressive enough.

Jin saw her make a few mistakes during her training. Once he did, he decided to approach her.

Sakura didn't notice him coming until he spoke. "Try keeping you elbow less bent when making that uppercut," he said.

Sakura stopped herself and turned her head to him, his voice nearly surprising her. Jin walked over to her and stopped just a few feet. He then did his over uppercut in the air. "See how my arm is more like an L-shaped?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. She then tried the uppercut herself. "Like this?"

Jin nodded. "Just keep your fist facing up and you should be good."

Sakura smiled. Though she only knew him from around the cave, including their first day here when she accidentally bumped into him, she nearly forgot how good-looking he was. As a matter of fact, he looked better up close.

"I saw you training yesterday with Ryu," Sakura mentioned. "You're a really good fighter."

Jin nodded. "Thank you. Speaking of Ryu, I noticed that you have a similar fighting style as him. Has he ever trained you?"

Sakura shook her head a little. "It's funny, really. I've seen Ryu fight in other tournaments and I've actually mimicked his moves along with my own style. Unfortunately, I've never actually trained with him. He's told me that he was still learning himself."

"I see," Jin said. “Perhaps he just feels that he's not ready to take on a student until he's learned enough to be confident in becoming a sensei.”

“I figured as much.” Sakura shrugged. "It might be for the best, I guess. Let's just say that I used to have a teeny bit of a crush on him."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen. I know, he's much older than me and I realize that now." She smiled at Jin. "I'm better off with a younger guy anyway."

"I'm sure there are plenty of guys your age around here."

Sakura's smile seemed to grow a bit wider. "I'm sure that won't be a problem."

Jin sighed to himself in his mind. _I hope I didn't give her any ideas…_

"I should get going," Jin said. "If you need any pointers, let me know. I'll see you around."

"Bye Jin," Sakura replied.

With that, Jin began walking away. Sakura couldn't help but stare at him. _Looks like I found myself a new fighting idol to admire!_

Once Jin disappeared behind the trees, Sakura continued with her training.

~~~

**Forest Area, Near The Palace**

Keeping herself hidden behind the trees, Mileena walked slowly through the forest. Her intentions were to head towards the palace to infiltrat the room of Princess Kitana. She would take her down and bring her to Shao Kahn as ordered.

Obviously, this type of assignment was one that Mileena had hoped for more than anything. The sole reason that she was created was so that if any hostilities occurred with the Edenian Princess, especially if she ever found out her true past, then Mileena would be there to take her place, making it as though Kitana was never dead to begin with.

Because of that, Mileena believed that she was the rightful heir to the Edenian throne. Her fondest wish was simply to kill Kitana and claim her existence as her own.

Over the years, Shao Kahn seemed to favor Kitana back when she was working as an assassin for him. Mileena developed a bitter hatred for her, obviously because she was jealous of the Princess. When it was discovered that Kitana was making plans to overthrow Shao Kahn with the Earthrealm warriors, Mileena confronted her, but it would only prove that Kitana was the better fighter and she killed her. This gave Mileena more reasons to despise her.

Mileena was sent to the Netherrealm, but it wouldn't be for long. The fallen Elder God Shinnok brought her back from the dead and only briefly did she work for him in return for resurrecting her. Since Shinnok's banishment, she had since returned to serving Shao Kahn.

Since this tournament began, things haven't exactly been going her way, aside from her secret relationship with the Tarkata Militia's General, Baraka. For one thing, her first mission to attack the Edenian royals was a failure. She made the mistake of attacking a handful of fighters as target practice and the last one nearly wounded her. Weakened by these fights, she had no choice but to return to the Emperor empty-handed.

To add insult to injury, Mileena ended up being defeated by Queen Sindel during the second round to the tournament. It gave even more reasons for her to hate the Edenian royals.

She considered herself lucky when Shao Kahn offered her to hunt down Kitana and bring her back to him alive. It was another chance to prove herself to the Emperor. This time, she would not fail.

As she continued walking through the shadows of the forest, Mileena suddenly spotted a female figure not too far from her. Keeping herself in the shadows, Mileena stood where she was. She was able to get a better look this time and was delighted upon recognizing the figure.

It was Kitana, no doubt. What really gave it away was the fact that she was holding a pair of blue fan blades, both which were closed up. The Princess was heading in the direction where the main palace was and Mileena guessed that she was returning after some training.

 _This couldn't get any better!_ Mileena thought in delight. _It looks like I could get this mission going without any witnesses around._

Quietly, Mileena began making her approach from behind. As she did, Kitana seemed to walk normally. She was indeed unaware of Mileena's presence behind her. Once she was close enough, Mileena jumped up, her two sais raised and ready to attack.

Kitana was able to hear Mileena jump. Not too stealthy, are we? she thought. Quickly she turned around just in time to block Mileena's attack with her fans. Kitana was a bit surprised that it was Mileena who was the attacker. However, since her mother fought her in the tournament, she had nearly expected for this to happen.

The Princess narrowed her brown eyes at her. "Even if you defeat me, my allies will come after you."

Immediately, Mileena pulled back, a sadistic laugh escaping her throat. The pink and black-clad woman snapped her fingers. Quickly, a group of male tarkatans emerged from the shadows, a little backup she had courtesy of Baraka. Kitana widened her eyes in surprise and Mileena looked at her with satisfaction.

Mileena narrowed her eyes at the Princess. "I have allies too, bitch!" She then pointed at Kitana. "ATTACK HER!"

With rage, the Tarkatans lashed out their blades from their arms before jumping forward to attack the Princess. Kitana quickly opened up her fans just before the tarkatans were in reach of her.

For some time, Kitana fought the tarkatans as Mileena watched from where she stood. It took little effort for the Princess to take down each mutant, slicing them up and killing then with her fans, leaving trails of blood all around the area. However, it seemed that the more tarkatans she killed, the more they were growing in numbers.

 _Where are they all coming from?_ she wondered.

She fought for some time before a tarkatan kicked her to the ground. Thankfully, Kitana still held on to her fans after landing on the ground on her back. One tarkatan stood over her. He lifted up his blades as he got ready to strike down. Kitana, keeping her hands firmly around the hilt of her fans, prepared for the tarkatan's next attack.

However, before the tarkatan was able to make his move, a large blade lashed out and sliced right through him. Kitana quickly backed away just before his upper torso disconnected from the rest of his body, falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Kitana looked over at who was behind the sword. She was quite surprised upon recognizing the person.

"Siegfried!" she called out.

Before he could answer, Siegfried swung his sword in a three quarter circle, knocking a handful of tarkatans back, killing them all instantly. Once he got that out of the way, he turned his head to the Princess. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Kitana took down another tarkatan before answering. "I'm fine now."

Together they finished off the remaining tarkatans, leaving no one alive. Once they finished, the only other person there was Mileena.

"No, NO!" she screamed out. "I failed again! Father won't be pleased!" She pointed a finger at Kitana. "You may have won this, but next time, you won't be so lucky!"

Quickly, she disappeared amongst the trees. Kitana ran a few steps forward in an attempt to pursue Mileena. However, after a moment, she realized that she lost track of her.

"Damn it…" she muttered under her breath, frustrated that Mileena had managed to escape. "Why couldn't she have just stayed dead…"

Kitana then heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw that Siegfried was approaching her, his large bloody sword in hand.

"What was that about?" he asked.

Kitana sighed to herself. "Her name's Mileena…you could say that we've been feuding for…quite some time." She then looked at him, completely turning around. "What happened to you? I haven't seen you in days, ever since you ran off-"

"I apologize," Siegfried cut in. "It's a long story. Honestly, I prefer not to bring it up at this time. Come on, I'll escort you back to the palace."

Kitana nodded. "Thank you."

With that, the two headed back towards the main palace.

~~~

**Main Palace**

Eight o'clock finally rolled around. During the whole afternoon, Yun Lee waited anxiously for the clock to finally strike eight. He trained himself mostly and went to dinner by himself. Other than that, when he got bored of training, he sat around at the palace grounds, having nothing else to do. He had refused to return to the cave this entire time, not wanting to be bombarded with questions from his siblings.

About a half hour before, he decided that he should at least get one small gift for Anna. Unsure of what else to give her, he picked some Outworld wildflowers for her, most of them a mix of lavender, blue, and pink pedals all held up by a dark purple stem.

Soon, eight o'clock rolled around. Yun even waited an extra minute, that way he didn't seem like he was in too much of a hurry to see Anna.

Once that one minute past, he got from the bench and proceeded inside the palace. He forgot how nice it was on the inside, all filled with golden items, mainly statues, and fresh green plants brightened things up all around. Not too many people were going about in the main hall at the moment.

He went up the main staircase, which was covered by a long dark red carpet. Yun was now on the first floor of the palace, having gone up from the ground floor. He went down a hall again before he found another set of stairs. He up those as well. From there, he began to look for room two seventy-four.

It only took Yun a minute before he found the room. He stared at the door for a moment. Blaming the jitters, he then wondered if Anna even remembered that she had invited him here. He would have to take his chance.

Yun reached his hand up and knocked on the door. "Door's open!" a female voice called out. Yun took a deep breath before opening the door. Once he was completely inside, he closed the door behind him.

Yun hadn't bothered to notice his surroundings. Near the back of the large room, Anna stood facing the window. She still wore the same dress that she did this morning, but her stockings had changed. Rather than just the plain dark brown ones, they now had various black decorations on them.

Anna turned around moments after the door closed to face Yun. Surprising to Yun, she was still wearing his blue and yellow cap (though he knew that she must've put it on just before his arrival, he wanted to think that she wore it all day after their afternoon meeting).

"Good evening, Mr. Lee," Anna said as she walked over to him. She slowly took the cap off her head before spinning it around with her finger. After a couple of spins, she caught the cap before it escaped her grasps. When she was close enough to Yun, Anna placed the cap back on his head. Though she put the hat on the wrong way, Yun didn't care. He only cared about what was happening at this very moment.

Anna looked down at his hands and noticed the wildflowers. "Are those for me? That's so sweet of you." She took the flowers in her hands and took in their scent for a moment. "Now… why don't you go sit on the bed."

"All right," replied Yun. He walked over to the bed filled with golden sheets and sat down. Anna placed the wildflowers on the nightstand before looking down at Yun. A seductive look came over her face before she placed her hands on his shoulders. Upon her touch, a chill ran up Yun's spine.

"You know," Anna said in a low voice. "It's been a while since I've met such a nice young man like yourself."

She then slowly placed herself on his lap. Instinctively, Yun wrapped his arms around her waist, completely lost for words. He never expected for her to act like this.

Anna brought her face closer to his. "Would you mind keeping me company this evening?" she asked as her blue eyes seemed to glitter.

Still lost for words, Yun was only able to nod his head. Anna smiled as she placed a hand on his face. "You seem quiet tonight. That's so cute."

With that, Anna claimed her lips with Yun's. It was light at first, but before Yun knew it, he found himself lost in a deep kiss. A minute past before Anna let out a soft moan as she slowly pushed him back on the bed. Their kisses became more intense from there and soon their found their tongues dueling with on another.

Throughout the rest of the evening, Yun found himself going much further than he had expected.

~~~

**Underground Lair**

Sliding forward, the Cleric of Chaos Havik attempted to trip his opponent, Maxi. Maxi saw the move coming and he jumped up, flipping over Havik in the mean time before landing on the ground a few feet behind him. The fight itself, the second one of the evening in the Underground Lair, only began over a minute ago, but the two fighters were only just warming up.

Ever since the second round of the tournament, Maxi's always joked that, with his luck, he would eventually fight a freaky-looking person. Upon seeing that Havik's mouth area only consisted of part of his skull, that day finally came.

"Come on freak!" Maxi called out to him as he raised his nunchakus in front of him.

Through his eyes, Havik seemed to grin at him. "That was such a nice compliment. Did I mention that you have funky hair?"

 _Not the hair jokes again,_ Maxi thought with a sigh.

Quickly, Maxi jumped forward. After his kicks were blocked by Havik, he lashed out his weapon and managed to hit him twice over the head before spinning them rapidly, causing Havik to rear back. The weapon continued spinning for another second before it came to a complete stop.

Havik quickly covered the distance between them. They exchanged some combos again for a minute. Then Maxi got himself in a handstand and placed his nunchaku on his left foot before spinning it rapidly at Havik, who was once again hit multiple times before stepping back. Maxi knew he was going to be asked about this move later on, as it's physically impossible to do this move. However, it was a little secret technique that he was never going to reveal.

"That was fun," Havik said. He then placed his hands on his face and quickly broke his neck. Maxi looked at him in surprise just as Havik got his neck back in it's normal place. "Sorry, I had a kink in my neck."

Ignoring his comments, Maxi lashed out at Havik once again. They traded blow after blow, each one either on offense or blocking themselves from their opponent's move. Afterwards, Maxi pulled back before charging electricity in his weapon from around him. He then performed an overhead throw in an attempt to smack Havik down to the ground before doing an uppercut. However, Havik saw the move in time and jumped out of the way before he was hit.

While Maxi got himself straightened out after performing a move, Havik quickly crouched down, bending his knees _backwards_ as two snapping noises were heard. Most of the viewers cringed in agony upon hearing the cracks. At the same time, a blue projectile shot out of Havik's fists.

Maxi managed to jump over the projectile, going towards Havik. He attempted to swing down his nunchaku at Havik's head, but the Chaosrealm native once again moved out of the way.

Once he did, Havik grabbed on to Maxi's arm. He then lifted his foot and managed to kick the back of Maxi's knee. Sheer pain went through Maxi's leg and he was forced to fall on his knees. Then Havik lifted up the same leg and knocked him in the chest, forcing Maxi to fall back on the ground.

After performing the move, Havik stepped back to give Maxi a chance to get himself back up. He only waited five seconds before he grew impatient. He lifted up his foot again and kicked Maxi in the back of the head with it. The Keisei native was only able to get up on his knees. When he was hit, he fell forward and was rendered unconscious.

Sitting up from his throne, Shang Tsung announced Havik as the winner of the match. Havik watched with delight as Maxi's friends ran over to see if he was all right. Not long after, they get him out of the ring.

"May Chaos break the rules that bind!" Havik called out before leaving the ring.

A few more matches went on. Afterward, Shang Tsung called upon Heihachi Mishima to face the ninja spectre Scorpion in the next match. In the ring, the older man didn't seem fazed by Scorpion's appearance and was rather unimpressed. Indeed it was going to be an interesting match. Soon, the two of them got themselves in their fighting stances, prepared for battle.

"Begin!" the sorcerer called out.

Neither one of them hesitated as they covered the few feet of space between each other. They fought hand to hand for about forty seconds before Heihachi pulled himself back from Scorpion in order to give himself a bit of space. When he did, Scorpion shot out a fireball in which Heihachi quickly ducked under.

Heihachi then ran forward and managed to land two punches on Scorpion. He then followed up with a third punch, this time with blue electricity surrounding his hand. This gave the old man more power in the punch and he managed to knock Scorpion back a few feet.

Scorpion managed to stay on his feet despite that. Quickly, he charged up some flames in his hands before dashing forward towards his opponent. The ninja spectre managed to land a double punch on Heihachi, causing him to stumble back as well. When he stopped, Heihachi quickly shook his head before bringing his fist up and letting out a small growl.

Heihachi waited until Scorpion covered the distance between them again. They exchanged some blows before he managed to grab Scorpion. He turned him upside down before performing a power bomb on him. Heihachi then got himself back on his feet and Scorpion followed a couple of seconds later after rolling back.

This time, it was Heihachi who went after Scorpion. Once again, the two exchanged some combos. Then, Heihachi jumped up and performed a double side kick in the air, which connected.

Scorpion reared back again. When he stopped, he lashed out his hand and a rope connected to a spear came flying out.

"COME HERE!" he called out. Heihachi made no attempt to move and when the spear was close enough, Heihachi lifted one arm in front of him and the spear smacked against his thick, metal wristband, causing the spear to go off course.

Scorpion seemed to raise and eyebrow as he pulled his spear back into his hand. Once he did, he took the same hand and pulled his mask off. This nearly caught his older opponent by surprise as Scorpion possessed a full skull rather than a normal human head. Then, Scorpion opened his mouth and leaned forward. A long line of fire came out of his mouth and Heihachi jumped out of the way just before it hit him. He kept his distance until the fire completely dispersed.

Before Scorpion had the chance to place his mask back over his skull, Heihachi managed to reach him and performed two punches before slightly ducking down and performing an uppercut. The uppercut sent Scorpion flying a few feet up. When he began to come back down, Heihachi brought one foot forward, bent his knees, and performed a punch with his arm full of electricity once again. The move once again sent Scorpion flying back a few feet.

Scorpion slid a few feet on the floor and Heihachi gave him a moment to get back on his feet. Once he did, Heihachi ran over to him again. However, he wasn't prepared for what was about to come.

The ninja spectre waited until Heihachi was close enough. When he was, he performed a flip kick, flames forming around his feet and leaving a small trail as he moved. The move caused Heihachi to fly back and it wasn't until he landed that he realized that he had flown right out of the ring.

Scorpion landed back on his feet as Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Scorpion!"

Upon hearing that, Heihachi stood up. He was obviously enraged by his loss. "You'll get yours in due time!" he called out as Scorpion left the ring from the opposite side. Then, he pushed anyone he believed was in his way as he began to take his leave.

Watching from the balcony above, Shao Kahn looked over at Heihachi until he was completely out of his view. He knew that this was the man who encountered both Ivy and Baraka previously. It was Ivy who told him about this man and it was Baraka who went out to test his skills. Though Heihachi lost the tournament altogether, Shao Kahn was pleased to know that what Baraka said about him was indeed true… he was a very strong fighter.

"He's indeed worthy to be part of my army," the Emperor muttered.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven

**Cave Grounds**

_That same evening…_

As the sun began to set behind the mountains, Alex placed some thin branches in the lit campfire. The air was getting cooler by the minute. She even noticed that some of the people staying in the cave with her were beginning to wear long sleeve clothing and jackets. She placed her hands near the fire to get herself warm before sitting back. She then took the open folds of her leather jacket and covered herself more with it.

"Staying warm?" she heard a familiar voice say behind her.

Alex turned her head and saw Kenshi walking over to her. She noticed that he wore all black clothing, aside from the red blindfold that were placed over his eyes. "Yeah, are you cold too?"

"Not really," he replied. "But I wouldn't mind sitting over here for a while." He then sat down next to Alex.

"So," Alex said. "We both have our matches tomorrow."

Kenshi nodded. "Yeah, we do."

Alex smiled a little. "I wouldn't be surprised if you won this whole thing. Did I ever tell you that you're a great swordsman?"

 _Did I actually just ask him that?_ she thought a bit weary. _Great, he must think I have a crush on him or something. Alex, you're an idiot…_

However, she was a bit relieved when she noticed a small smirk coming upon his face. "No, I don't believe you did, but thank you." Then he smirked even more. "And did I tell ever tell you that you're a great person?"

Alex looked at him a bit surprised. That was the _last_ thing she had expected him to say. "Um, thanks…" Then she couldn't help but smile. "Are you flirting with me?"

Kenshi seemed to smirk even more as he brought himself a bit closer to her. "No… I like to think of it as being… well, nice."

Alex found herself bringing herself even more closer to him. "Well… that's very…well… nice of you."

From there, they both realized how closer they were to each other and Alex began to have the urge to kiss him. She pondered in her mind whether or not she should make the move. However, before she made her decision, Kenshi began to lean towards her. She parted her lips and slightly tilted her head, getting ready to welcome the kiss.

Just before their lips would touch, they suddenly heard someone yell, "ALEX!"

Alex was just about to turn her head when suddenly, her vision was blocked with bright colors before everything went dark. She realized that her eyes were closed, so she opened them. As soon as she did, a small pile of clothes were thrown at her face.

"Huh…" she mumbled. She removed the clothes from her face and looked briefly around as she realized that she was back in her room. She then looked over near the curtains and saw Sonya standing there with one hand on her hip.

"Damn Alex, I'd thought I'd never get you to wake up!" Sonya mentioned. "Are you completely awake yet?"

Alex managed to sit herself up from her bed. "Eh, yeah, I think," she managed to say.

"Well good," Sonya answered. "Because we're going to have a meeting at the campfire in a half hour about what's been up as of late. I wanted to make sure that you'll be ready by then."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll be… what time is it?"

"Eight o'clock in the evening." Then Sonya smiled. "You told me you were going in for a nap and that was three hours ago."

"Oh, eh, yeah I did. All right, see you in a half hour."

"See you."

Then Sonya pulled the curtain aside and left the room. Alex looked down at the clothes given to her. It was a black tank top and green army pants. "Oh good, I needed new pants," Alex said.

She then swung her legs over the bed. Before she got up, she thought about the dream she just had… which made her laugh a bit.

"Yeah right," Alex said to herself. "Like Kenshi would do that! Besides, we're just friends, nothing more."

Afterward, Alex got out of the bed and began to get herself ready for the meeting.

~~~

**Lounge Area**

Sitting down at a small table, Rose lifted a mug with her hand and took a sip of her green tea. The drink warmed her up and she sighed with happiness. Things were peaceful for now. Everyone was doing their own thing and Raiden was actually out fishing with some of the guys.

 _I don't remember the last time I felt so relaxed,_ Rose thought with a small smirk. Then the smirk faded a little. _Probably before I met Raiden…_

Yes, Raiden could be annoying… constantly joking around, always drinking Outworld liquor (despite telling her that because he was a God, he can't get drunk), and especially poking fun at her. However, despite all that, he was an honorable man. After all, he was the one who set this whole cave thing up and selected many of the chosen ones. He was helping Rose and she too was helping him. In a way, they needed each other's assistance and it was good that Raiden sought her out.

Besides, someone had to keep him in line when nothing serious was going down.

 _But he can be a good man,_ she thought.

As she sipped more of her tea, the curtain to the lounge was pulled to the side. Rose expected it to be Raiden, but when the person came in, she recognized Ashrah, the woman she sought out a while ago.

Ashrah took a couple of steps in the room before she noticed Rose at the table. "Hello Rose," she said. "I hope I'm not disrupting you, I'm just coming in to get a plate."

Rose smiled a little. "No dear, you're not disrupting anything. While you're here, would you like some tea?"

Ashrah shook her head. "That's all right, I'm not really a tea person."

"Oh please try it," Rose suggested. "Green tea, it's fresh."

Ashrah stood where she was for a moment. _I guess if it's fresh…_

She walked over to where the kettle was. Taking a mug, she lifted the kettle and poured the tea in the mug before placing it back down. Then she walked over to the table Rose was at and sat down in an empty chair.

Rose watched as Ashrah took a sip of the tea before placing it down. "Mmm, this is soothing."

"Glad you like it," Rose replied. She then changed the subject. "I know we haven't talked much since you arrived here. Things have been chaotic since one of our own passed away. I hope that we can catch up."

Ashrah nodded. "I was hoping the same."

"Good," Rose said. "I wanted to ask… when you attacked me, you called me a demon. Why did you think I was a demon?"

The white-clad woman took another sip of her tea before answering. "I was once a demon myself, residing in the Netherrealm. I used to be an assassin for the Brotherhood of Shadows. It used to be the life I only knew. Not long ago, I asked a question about an assignment. I never had intended it to be a sign of treason, but that's what my former master suspected it to be. He sent my own sisters to kill me.

"Around the same time, I found a kriss sword that would purify my soul. This was the only way that one could escape the Netherealm and it became my desire. I wanted to start life a new. I finally accomplished that when I defeated a wraith named Noob Saibot. Unfortunately, I lost my sword during my transport and I ended up here just prior to the tournament.

Rose sipped her tea as she listened to Ashrah's story with great interest. "That's quite a story."

"There's more," Ashrah continued. "When I defeated Noob, I thought I killed him. He actually survived and has since been using my sword to taint my soul once again. I haven't seen him since, but I think I have leads of his location.

"Even after losing my sword, I can sense even the slightest dark side of a person. Your good side seems to be more dominate than your dark side, but I wasn't so sure that day."

Rose nodded as she understood. "I can see why you were able to sense my dark side. It comes from my past with a former powerful dictator. It's a long story, but this dictator is no longer alive, so I am able to move on from that."

"That's good," Ashrah said. "I hope to seal away Noob once and for all. Perhaps then I will find peace."

It was then that the curtain opened again. Raiden stepped into the room and noticed Rose and Ashrah at the table. "Bonding time, ladies?" he asked.

Rose finished her tea before placing it down. She then smiled. "Unlike with you, I'm having a nice conversation with Ashrah."

Raiden found himself chuckling a bit. "Wow, I didn't know it was possible to have a nice conversation with a psychic." He then grinned widely. "I mean psycho."

Ashrah quickly placed her cup down. "You know, I think I'll go. It was nice talking with you Rose."

Quickly, Ashrah got up and walked out of the lounge. She only was able to take a few steps outside when she heard a loud scream, followed by a sound of crackling electricity, then finally a loud smash.

~~~

**Forest Area**

Even within the darkness of the forest, Ryu trained intensively. He normally liked to train here at this time mainly because it offered the best chance of no disruptions.

That morning, he had his match in the fourth round and won. He felt that he didn't fight in a match that long ago, considering that his fight during round three wasn't too far off from this round.

Aside from making it thus far in the tournament, things have been… well… the young warrior couldn't really describe his stay here in Outworld. Mostly it's been quiet, but his social life had been, well, interesting. Perhaps it was mainly because he didn't really socialize much throughout his life.

Ryu always suspected that Ken wanted to get him a girlfriend every time they met up somewhere, even in another realm. In the case, Ken always left him alone with Julia Chang. He did admit though, she was a sweet person who had a caring nature. He still felt bad about a few days ago when he didn't tell her that he was going to hang out with Mika that morning… thank Ken for that.

Mika… she was another one. Almost every time he saw her, she always struck up a conversation with him and, half the time, wanted to train with him. He suspected that she most likely fancies him.

It was only a guess though.

Ryu was always told that he was a good looking guy. It was no wonder the girls were always chasing him. However, dating was not for him right now. He wanted to focus on seeking his vengeance for his master's death. Only then would he find inner peace and... it would much easier to date then.

After some time of training, Ryu decided to call it a night. He planned to hit the hay once he returned to the cave, then train again during the early morning hours.

Ryu only took a few steps when he sensed a dark chi not too far from him. He stopped himself, having the feeling that someone was not too far. He tried to listen for footsteps, but all he heard was nothing, not even the sound of the wind.

However, he was still able to sense the dark chi.

 _Maybe it was all in my imagination,_ he thought.

He was about to take another step when he heard a whistle-like noise just to his left. The sound seemed to get louder and louder by the second. When Ryu turned his head, he saw a spear quickly coming towards him. Immediately, he ducked right under it. The spear missed him and it instead planted itself on a tree that was behind Ryu.

After that, Ryu sat himself up. His dark eyes widened a bit when he saw that the spear that came close to impaling him was connected to a thick, brown rope. He examined it for a moment before it retracted to where it came from. It didn't go far as it went back into the hand of his attacker.

Ryu didn't know his name, but for those who did knew him as Scorpion.

The Japanese warrior got himself on his feet before getting himself into a fighting stance. "Why do you attack me?" he asked.

"Target practice," Scorpion answered.

That was enough. Immediately, Ryu shot his hands out and a light blue projectile shot out. " _Hadouken!_ " he called out.

Nearly the same time, Scorpion shot out both his hands as well and a blazing fireball shot out. The two projectiles collided with each other creating a small explosion. When it completely cleared, Ryu and Scorpion jumped after each other to engage in combat.

~~~

**Beach Area, Near The Cave**

The large moon caused the calm waters to glitter in the night. Watching this, Maki, Sakura, and Cassandra sat on the nearly white sand while Mika and Asuka sparred just a few feet from them.

"It's such a nice night," said Cassandra. “If the sky wasn't such a dark purple and actually had stars, it would feel much like Keisei.”

Maki looked over at the very large moon that was up not too far from the distant mountains. "You mean Keisei's moon is that big?"

Cassandra couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "It's bright, but it's not that big!"

It was then that Mika and Asuka stopped their training for the night and joined the other three girls. "Okay we're done for now," said Asuka.

"Did you have fun?" asked Sakura.

"I sure did," answered Mika. "Especially with my match in three days."

"And mine tomorrow," mentioned Asuka.

Maki's eyes seemed to light up as she looked at her friends. "I was thinking… what past matches did you think were the best ones so far in this tournament?"

Mika placed a finger on her chin as she tried to think of one. "Gee, there were so many good ones. Hmmm… if we're going with anyone in the cave… I'd say the match between you and that blue clad girl in the second round… I forget her name…"

"Kitana," Maki reminded her.

"I'd have to say that my match with you was pretty good," said Sakura as she looked up at Mika. "And that's despite the fact that I lost."

"Well I'll tell you one thing," said Cassandra. "I hated my match in the third round. It's not because I lost, but it was because my opponent was so rude!"

"Tell me about it," agreed Asuka. "Hopefully, if I do happen to lose, I don't end up losing to a rude fighter as well."

Mika sighed a little. "I bet they'll get ruder every round. They always seem to be the better fighters."

"Not Jin Kazama!" Sakura mentioned while smiling.

All four of her friends looked at her a bit surprised. Sakura then realized what she said and partially covered her mouth with her hand. "Eh, did I say that out loud?"

"Yes," all four answered.

"I still don't understand what's so special about him," mentioned Asuka.

"Seems that you found yourself a new idol," said a grinning Maki as she lightly punched Sakura's arm.

Mika eyed Maki. "Well what about you, Miss 'Oh-my-God!-I'm-going-out-with-Yang-Lee?'"

"Yeah!" agreed Cassandra. "You still have to give us the juicy details between you two."

Maki found her cheeks burning as she placed her hands over them. "That's none of your business! Cody keeps bugging me about that every time he sees me!"

"Well that's what happens when you get a new boyfriend," said Sakura.

The girls continued on with their chatting throughout the evening.

~~~

**Dungeon, Unknown Area**

Entering the dungeon, Quan Chi made his way down the long, dark, dank hallway while carrying a bag. With the exception of the sounds of dripping water, nothing else was heard.

The sorcerer made a turn to the next hallway and saw a guard that was standing nearby. Quan Chi immediately approached him. "Any updates?" he asked.

The guard nodded. "Yes. Berserk had just killed off his victim. We only have one prisoner left down here. May we place him in Berserk's cell?"

"Not yet," Quan Chi replied. "Shao Kahn said to not do so just yet. He considers this prisoner a special one." A smirk came over his face. "It looks as though we may have to find ourselves another prisoner to keep Berserk occupied until then."

From there, he walked past the guard and headed to the cell in which Paul Phoenix was being held in. He unlocked the door and entered the room. Paul was in the back room, freed from the chains as he was weak enough to not escape. Upon hearing the door open, Paul barely looked up, his eyes only half open. Dirt began to cover his clothes and body and he was getting more of an ingrown beard. More scars appeared on bare parts of his skin.

Quan Chi went through the bag in his hand and took out a loaf of bread. "The Emperor was in a good mood today so he was nice enough to give you a fresh loaf." He then threw the bread down on the floor just a couple of feet away from Paul.

However, Paul didn't make any attempts to get the bread. This angered Quan Chi. The sorcerer walked over to Paul before bringing his foot up and stomped on Paul's stomach. The blow caused Paul to keel over more in pain and cough frantically.

"You should consider yourself lucky!" Quan Chi yelled out. Paul only stared at him as the sorcerer continued. "You're the only prisoner left in this dungeon. Normally, at this point, we would feed you to Berserk. However, the Emperor considers you a special prisoner and didn't want you to be placed in the same cell as Berserk just yet."

A sadistic grin came over Quan Chi's face. "Perhaps after he finishes off his next victim, I can request that you go next. Just… enjoy yourself in your misery until then."

With that, the sorcerer left the cell, locking it after stepping out. When the sounds of footsteps were out of earshot, Paul reached over for the bread and took a bite.

~~~

**Cave Grounds, Campfire**

Standing in front of everyone near the lit campfire, Guile and Wolfman addressed their allies consisting of Sonya, Wagner, Alex, Kenshi, Cammy, Lita, McCoy, Ginzu, Chun Li, and Lei, who were all sitting down.

"Well since we came here," said Wolfman. "We haven't been able to discover much. However, other people in the cave have been able to make a few discoveries that may be able to help us."

Guile continued for him. "One of those things was the discovery of activities in the old palace of the Outworld Emperor. There is a possibility that former members of Shadaloo and members of the Black Dragon may be working for him. We could assume that it's a way for them to get closer to the medallion."

"That sounds just about correct," said Lita.

"We're continuing to find any answers around the main palace grounds," mentioned McCoy. "However, we haven't been able to find any leads as of now."

"The other thing we're looking into is the mystery surrounding Ibuki's death," spoke up Chun Li. "However, we haven't been able to get anything on that."

"I've tried talking to Li Mei," said Alex. "She was the sole witness of her death. However, being that she was traumatized by what happened, she's not ready to speak about it."

"All right, we'll give her time and hopefully she'll speak by the end of the tournament," said Wolfman.

"Damn!" called out Sonya. "We've been here for nearly a month and have discovered so little about anything! We really need to start cracking down on things."

"I know it's hard," said Guile. "But it's mainly because we're trying to keep ourselves under wraps just in case anyone suspects us. It is something we definitely don't want to risk. Not only will it put our lives in danger, but it'll also risk the lives of everyone in the cave."

"The only thing we can do now is keep doing what we've been doing," spoke Wolfman. "If anyone makes any more discoveries or hear from anyone else, report to us."

A pause lingered in the air for a moment before Wagner spoke. "So that's it? Damn, that was a quick meeting. To think I skipped out on playing cards with Ken and Cody."

Sonya laughed. "Scott, you can do that any time you want."

Wagner eyed the older blonde woman. "How did you know my first name?"

Sonya stared at him, a small smirk appearing on his face. "Trust me, I know everything."

Ginzu's eyes widened upon hearing that. "Watch out! She's stalking you!"

"Har, har."

"All right everyone," said Guile. "I could make one more mention before we depart. Keep in mind that, tomorrow, both Kenshi and Alex will have their matches in the morning. In two days, Chun Li will have her match, so wish them luck."

Alex laughed. "Yeah, cause I'm really going to need it."

Lita patted her shoulder. "Well look on the bright side dear… you won't be drunk and try to take your shirt off this time."

"Don't remind me…"

Everyone in the group ended up laughing with the exception of Kenshi, who raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing something?" he asked.

Lita looked at him. "Oh, it happened a while ago during the second round of the tournament-"

"Lita!" Alex cried out. "There's no need to go off and tell people everything you know."

"I know that feeling," agreed Cammy.

Guile immediately spoke up. "All right, I think this meeting is officially over for the night. Now let's depart without killing each other."

With that, everyone began to take their leave. Lei began to stretch his arms out after standing himself on his feet. While he did, Chun Li approached him. "Some meeting, huh?" she asked with a warm smile.

Lei found himself smiling a bit too. "I think my favorite part was the after discussion."

Chun-Li laughed. "I think everyone did, except maybe Guile and Wolfman. Say, it's a nice night out tonight. Want to take a walk for a little bit."

Lei looked around the area for a bit before turning his head back towards Chun Li. "Sure, but let's not stray too far from the cave grounds. I don't want some weird-looking demons to come out of nowhere and attack us."

"Good idea," Chun Li agreed.

The two then began their walk around the cave grounds.

~~~

**Forest Area**

Ryu and Scorpion continued to engage in combat. Hadoukens and fireballs were constantly exchanged, barely leaving scratches on the combatants but leaving a mass amount of damage of the area around them, especially the trees.

The two exchanged various punches and kicks endlessly. Ryu threw a punch at Scorpion in which he blocked before following it up with a palm strike to Ryu's abdomen. Ryu stepped out of the way and was able to avoid the blow before he raised a leg up to deliver a high kick. Scorpion managed to dodge that as well.

Another Hadouken shot out of Ryu's hands and Scorpion ducked right under it. The projectile ended up hitting a damaged tree. The tree had grown weak and this blow caused it to complete tumble over, causing the ground to shake upon impact.

Scorpion this disappeared in a burst of flames before reappearing above Ryu on the opposite side. He attempted a kick at Ryu's face, but the Ansatsuken fighter managed to block the move, forcing Scorpion to land safely back on the ground. For another moment, they released a fury of punches and kicks at each other.

Then, Scorpion ripped his own mask off his head, revealing nothing but a skull. Ryu quickly backed away from him, surprised by this. Scorpion then opened his mouth and a long line fire shot out. Ryu quickly jumped over flames and towards his opponent.

" _Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!_ " Ryu called out as he placed one leg out and let him spin in circles rapidly.

However, Scorpion saw this coming. When Ryu was close enough, he successfully grabbed a hold of Ryu's leg. Using his leg, Scorpion was able to swing him halfway around before releasing him. Ryu let out a cry as he flew a few feet before crashing into a tree and falling into the ground.

As Ryu struggled to get himself to sit up, Scorpion walked over to him. The ninja spectre then stood a few feet and waited until Ryu was able to sit himself up. Once Ryu did, he began to lift his foot up.

Before Scorpion was able to land a blow, a sound of thunder was heard, causing the both of them to turn their head. When they did, they both saw Raiden standing a few feet from them.

"Enough!" the Thunder God boomed. He then looked at the ninja spectre. "Scorpion, I understand your need to fight… but you shall not harm any of my chosen warriors during this tournament. Is that understood?"

Scorpion turned himself completely towards Raiden. "Hmph, it's not my fault that the only descent warriors worthy to face me in combat are your chosen ones… but for now Thunder God, I will respect your wishes. But I will have you know… when this tournament is over, I will fight who I want, when I want." Then in a burst of flames, the ninja spectre disappeared.

Raiden then walked over to Ryu and helped him back on his feet. Ryu looked at him peculiarly. "Who was he? And how does he know about us chosen ones?"

The Thunder God sighed. "He was actually the first person I asked to join with us. However, he declined the offer because he had… other things to take care of." He then looked up into the sky. "I've known him ever since the first Mortal Kombat tournament… he's a tortured soul, cursed to live as a spectre for eternity…"

Ryu nodded after his explanation. He didn't need to know exactly what kind of vengeance Scorpion was seeking… he knew enough already. A little part of Ryu hoped that, someday, the ninja spectre would finally find his peace.

~~~

**Cave**

Sitting down on a bed, Yang fiddled with his hands impatiently. Next to him sat Yin, who constantly sighed nearly every minute. However, the both of them had good reason for acting like this.

"Are you sure Yun never returned?" asked Yin, looking over at her brother.

Yang sighed to himself. "Yeah, it was around lunch time when I last saw him. He said he was going to take care of something and that he'd be back in an hour or two. Well, it's hell be _a lot_ more than an hour or two. I just hoped that he didn't…"

Yin placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't. For all we know, he could've-"

It was then that the curtain opened and their missing brother stepped in. Yun was a bit surprised to find his brother and sister in his room. He smiled at them. "Hey you two, I'm surprised to see you here."

Yin quickly stood up and walked over to Yun before raising a hand and slapping him hard across the face. "Where the hell have you been?" she yelled out. "Do you have any idea how worried sick we both were?"

Yun rubbed his cheek which had been slapped. "Damn, sorry, I didn't realize-"

Yang looked up at him. "You did say only a couple of hours! You better have a good excuse as to why it took you all this time to come back."

A large grin came upon the older Lee's face and he sat down next to Yang. "Well, I didn't get the chance to do what I wanted to do. However, something really cool happened to me."

Yin folded her arms as she stood in front of her brothers. "This better be good."

Yun shrugged. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but it sure was hell good for me. Remember my opponent Anna Williams from my second round of the tournament?"

Yang nodded. "You mean the one who kicked your ass?"

Yun sighed. "Yeah, her. But anyway, I ended up seeing her not long after you left. We were talking non-stop and, eh… we ended up spending the whole day together! We didn't do much, but we really enjoyed each other's company a lot. Then, not too long ago, we went back to her room…"

His sister's jaw dropped. "Yun… you didn't…"

A grin came upon Yun's face, giving her the answer she didn't want.

As they were talking, Nina Williams happened to pass by the room when she heard her sister's name being mentioned. Immediately, she stopped in her tracks and eavesdropped on the conversation. Obviously, the young man who was talking about his day with Anna was smitten with her. Upon hinting at what they shared that evening, Nina decided that enough was enough. Obviously, the kid didn't even know Anna's true side.

Quickly, she pulled the curtain aside and stepped into the room. She nearly startled the Lee siblings, especially since they never really saw her around much.

"Did I hear correct?" asked Nina. "Anna Williams?"

Yun looked up at her. "Yeah," he replied. "You know her?"

Nina nearly smirked. "Know her? Hmph, you have no idea." She then looked at him seriously. "I strongly suggest that you stay away from her. You may think she's another innocent face just because you spent a mere day with her, but she's more than you think. Let's just say… she only seeks for what she wants." She then turned around. "You've been warned." Then she stepped out of the room.

A few moment passed before Yun chuckled. "She's just jealous! Well, I'm going to get something to eat." He then stood up, placed his hat down on the bed, and then left the room.

When Yun's back was turned to them, Yang and Yin exchanged worried glances. Nina seemed serious about what she said and they were willing to take her word… but will their brother do the same?


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight

**Indoor Arena**

In the middle of the match, Siegfried swung his sword twice from side to side before turning himself in a full circle and jabbing his sword down at his opponent's feet. His opponent Nediar - well, Raiden rather - was able to dodge the swings and jumped up when the large sword was jabbed towards his ankles.

As the fight continued, Raiden realized how good of a fighter Siegfried was. Just for his fighting alone, he was an excellent candidate to be one of his and Rose's chosen ones. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit distracted by the dark essence he could sense within his opponent. It was a dark energy that was indescribable and it seemed to try to fight with his good energy. Because of this, Siegfried wasn't a good fighter to have around in the cave.

 _It's a shame,_ the Thunder God thought. _He seems like a nice young man too…_

After another minute passed, Raiden pulled back a bit and drew out his staff from behind him. Raiden knew that Siegfried's weapon was more powerful, but he was thankful that his staff was able to withstand powerful blows. After all, it was a gift from the Elder Gods themselves.

Raiden waited for Siegfried to cover the distance between them. When he did, the Thunder God swung his staff sideways twice. Siegfried stepped back and was able to avoid the attacks. However, when he stepped forward again, Raiden swung the staff overhead and managed to hit the top of Siegfried's head. Taken a bit by surprise, Siegfried stepped back a few feet and rubbed his head a bit.

Taking this opportunity, Raiden shot out an electric projectile at him. Siegfried saw the projectile in time and jumped out of the way. He went after Raiden again and jumped up, bringing his sword down. Raiden quickly blocked the sword, having to stagger back a bit from the force.

A few more moves were exchanged between the two before Raiden quickly disappeared and reappeared behind Siegfried, delivering a punch. The punch connected, causing Siegfried to stagger a few feet forward. When the younger man got his balance back, he heard footsteps coming towards him and he quickly back kicked. The kick connected, sending Raiden back, but still keeping his feet on the ground.

This gave Siegfried enough time to face Raiden. He ran over to him before delivering a kick, which connected, then followed with a spin kick from the opposite direction, then finally a head butt in which Raiden blocked with his free hand. He then lifted up a leg and performed a forward kick, electricity surrounding it. Siegfried was kicked in the abdomen and was forced to step back a couple of feet.

Then, Raiden jumped forward and flew towards Siegfried in hopes of grabbing him and fly across the ring. However, Siegfried saw the attack in time and stepped out of the way, letting Raiden pass him. Raiden flew a few feet before landing safely on the ground.

Once again, the two of them covered the space between them. Raiden pulled out his staff again and they fought weapon to weapon for a few more seconds. When both weapons were on each wielder's side, Siegfried took the opportunity to take one giant step forward and performed three head butts in a row. All three hit Raiden, causing him to feel slightly dizzy.

As Raiden tried to recover, Siegfried dropped his sword to the ground. He then bent his knees, grabbed on to both of Raiden's ankles, and lifted him up, forcing the Thunder God to do a couple of somersaults.

Just before Raiden would land back on the ground, Siegfried quickly ran over to him and landed a kick to his back. The kick caused Raiden to fly away from him and before he knew it, he was out of the ring.

A moment passed before the Shadow Priest hosting the matches in the indoor arena stood up. "Winner: Siegfried Schtauffen!"

As Siegfried walked out of the ring, Raiden sat himself up and for a moment he watched the young man go. _What do you know,_ he thought. _He was strong enough to defeat a God…of course, if I had used my full power…_

However, a part of Raiden knew that it had something to do with the dark essence within Siegfried. Whatever it was, it seemed to try to conflict with his good energy, so it was a question as to whether or not he was a good person altogether.

Whatever the case, Raiden decided to keep an eye out on him for the remainder of the tournament.

~~~

**Outdoor Arena**

It was beginning to get close to noon and already Wagner was finding himself nodding off a few times. _Is it time yet?_ he thought to himself. _I'm getting sleepy and hungry…_

It was then that he felt someone nudge his left arm. Wagner quickly snapped his eyes opened. "I'm up! I'm up!" he called out. He looked to his left and saw Alex with a grin on her face.

"Don't fall asleep just yet," she said. "You just might miss my match."

Then Wagner felt another nudge on his right arm. Wagner turned in that direction and saw Sonya looking at him. "Yeah Wagner, don't fall asleep or else that girl you fought in the first round might kidnap you."

Wagner narrowed his eyes at her. "Very funny."

He then heard a slight cough behind him. This made Wagner turn around and he saw Kenshi behind him. Quickly, the young man faced forward again and raised an eyebrow. _Why does this seem familiar?_ he asked himself.

It was then that some of the people near them stepped aside, making room for Guile to walk pass them and reach the four of them. "You made it," said Alex.

A smirk came over Guile's face. "I couldn't miss out on yours and Kenshi's matches. I've been told that I've been missing out on some really good fights."

Wagner sighed. "Trust me, right now you're not missing out on anything. And besides, you missed out on my last match… even though I lost."

Guile patted his surrogate son's shoulder. "Would you rather I was there then or during the first round when you won? Which may I remind you that I did watch."

Wagner sighed again as he thought about what happened to him in his match during the first round. "Honestly, I have no idea."

Soon, the current match was over. The winner walked out in victory as his knocked out opponent was dragged out of the ring by his allies. Some time passed before the Shadow Priest stood up.

"The next match shall begin," it said. A pause lingered before it announced the first of the two fighters. "Alex Walker!"

"Finally!" Wagner called out as he looked at Alex. "Knock your opponent one!"

Alex shrugged a little. Even she wasn't sure if she would win today. Clearly, it depended on who her opponent was going to be today. "We'll see." Everyone wished her good luck as she stepped over the ropes and began heading towards the middle of the ring.

When she was far enough, Wagner quickly looked at Sonya. "How much do you want to bet that she'll fight a pervert?"

Sonya raised an eyebrow. "They're not all perverts. Besides, I bet you five bucks she'll fight a descent guy."

Wagner grinned at her. "You're on!"

Guile sighed to himself a little as he looked over at Kenshi. "Seems like Wagner's growing on Sonya."

Kenshi slightly nodded. "It happens when you spend a long period of time with someone."

Soon enough, as Alex stretched herself, her opponent's name was announced… a name she least expected to hear…

"Kenshi!"

Wagner almost laughed. "What a coincidence! Kind of reminds me of back in round two of the tournament when we were all fighting.”

"Which reminds me," said Sonya. "I won the bet."

"Damn it!" Wagner cried out upon realization.

"Well," said Guile. "Good luck Kenshi…well, good luck to the both of you."

"Thanks," Kenshi replied as he stepped into the ring.

Alex stood still in the middle of the ring as she watched her friend step over the ropes. _Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!_ she screamed out in her mind. _I'm so getting my ass kicked! she slightly sighed to herself. Well, might as well give it my all, even though it probably won't seem like much…_

Soon Kenshi reached the middle of the ring and the both of them stood a few feet away from each other. Alex smirked a little. "Well, this is surely coincidence."

Kenshi nodded a little as he got himself in a fight stance. "Do you want me to hold back?" he asked for the heck it.

Alex raised an eyebrow, thinking how that was an odd request coming from him, though she guessed that he wasn't serious judging by the way he said it in a casual tone. "Now why would you want to do that?" she asked him.

Despite having a red blindfold over his eyes, he seemed to stare at her in reply. Alex got herself in her fighting stance afterward. "Well, no."

Once they looked ready, the Shadow Priest sat down. "Begin!" it called out.

Immediately, the two circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. After a few moments, Alex decided to step forward. She jumped towards him and began delivering some kicks in which he quickly blocked. Various moves were exchanged between the two for about a minute.

Then, Alex performed a backward flip in an attempt to kick Kenshi. However, he managed to step back just before the move connected, only missing by a few inches.

When she got back on her feet, Kenshi stepped forward and began delivering some punches in which Alex blocked… at least up until the last couple. Then, he grabbed on to both her wrists and let himself falling back, taking her with him and throwing her over once he was completely on the ground. Alex found herself flying a few feet before landing on the ground, letting out a small cry upon contact. She slid a couple of feet before coming to a complete stop.

Kenshi got himself back on his feet and he waited for Alex to do the same. She slowly did so, ignoring the stinging feel in her arm, which had some scratches on it from sliding on the floor. When she was ready, he covered the distance between them and began fighting hand to hand again.

At one point, Kenshi tried to deliver a right hook. Alex quickly dodged the punch and as she did, she got herself behind him. She waited until he turned around and when he did, she quickly lifted her leg and kicked him the jaw, causing him to stagger back a couple of feet.

Once he got his footing back, Kenshi quickly lifted a hand. A light blue aura surrounded his hand and within less than a second, Alex found herself completely surrounded by the same colored aura. She tried to move, but found that she couldn't.

"What the-" Alex tried to say.

Then, Kenshi put out his other hand, now also glowing in the light blue aura. With one quick swift of his hands, Alex suddenly found herself flying across the ring (yelping upon being moved), going past him in the meantime before landing a few feet near the edge of the ring. Once Alex was on the ground, Kenshi released her from his telekinetic grip.

Alex slowly got herself back on her feet. "Show off," she said to him.

Kenshi grunted a bit, but smirked in a cocky matter. Once again, Alex ran after him and they continued with their hand to hand combat.

Unknown to anyone in the outdoor arena, Shang Tsung watched from one of the taller hills that looked over the arena. Normally, he would be at the courtyard hosting the tournament, but Shao Kahn had been in quite a good mood the last couple of days and today, he gave Shang Tsung the day off (at least until the Underground Lair tournaments later that evening).

He decided to watch some matches for a couple of hours. Since he spent too much time in the Courtyard, he decided to see what was going on in the outdoor arena.

Now, he was watching the match that was going on in the ring. He immediately recognized Kenshi, who he almost forgot was in the tournament. If the sorcerer remembered correctly, the last time he saw the swordsman was during the participants' first evening in the dining quarters, the night when he announced himself as the main host.

Even after living for hundreds of years, Shang Tsung always remembered every person he had ever had contact with, whether they were allies, enemies, or the souls he possessed. Kenshi was no exception, although Shang Tsung believed that he was killed in the ordeal the day he stole the souls of Kenshi's very own ancestors.

It was no matter now a days… though the sorcerer noted how much stronger Kenshi had become since. Perhaps even strong enough that he would endure more of his suffering by taking his soul.

 _We'll have to see,_ the sorcerer thought.

It was then that he heard footsteps from behind. Shang Tsung knew immediately that someone was approaching him. Before he could turn around, the figure spoke. "I had the feeling that you were at least attending one of the arena's matches."

Shang Tsung didn't have to turn his head to see who it was that arrived. The voice indeed belonged to Quan Chi. The second sorcerer stopped just two feet behind Shang Tsung.

"And what compelled you to come up here?" Shang Tsung wondered.

"For one thing," Quan Chi answered. "You have something for me."

Shang Tsung thought for a moment, then quickly remembered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled up paper. "I nearly forgot… I have a small task for you." He handed the paper to Quan Chi. "This is a message for Song. It's important information about… his next match. Take it to him this afternoon in room three fifty nine in the main palace, third floor."

Quan-Chi nodded and placed the paper in his own pocket. "While I'm here, I might as well tell you of a small task I've been assigned to. Paul Phoenix is the only prisoner we have in the dungeon right now. I discussed the matter to the Emperor and he suggested that, since he still wanted Paul alive, that I should go search for another prisoner to keep Berserk occupied until the time came. This is the first time I ventured to the tournament ground since my loss… do you have someone in mind?"

Shang Tsung looked down at the ring again. For the first time, he noticed Kenshi's opponent. Alex… that was the name the Shadow Priest announced when she walked into the ring. He studied her for a moment. Not the best fighter he ever saw, which perhaps may be a good thing... there was a good chance that she would lose her match in the next few minutes, especially considering who she was fighting against. It meant that there would be no disruption in the tournament set up once round five was underway.

The sorcerer looked over at Quan Chi. "See that woman in the ring?"

Quan-Chi looked in the ring and saw Alex. "Her?"

Shang Tsung nodded. "I think she'll be a good candidate." Then a smirk came upon his face as an idea came to him. "As a matter of fact, let me take care of this one. After this match, I'll head back to the Emperor's palace and request to let Berserk out… let him have some fun for a bit. You look after her in the meantime."

Quan Chi smirked as well. "We'll do."

Back in the ring, Kenshi and Alex continued to engage in combat, exchanging hand to hand moves. Some time passed before Alex saw an opening and she performed a double roundhouse. The first hit Kenshi, but he managed to block the next one. Then she pulled back as she performed a few punches and kicks. Alex managed to duck under a kick and once again got herself behind him.

Alex, facing Kenshi's back, attempted to grab him in order to perform a suplex, but Kenshi managed to jump out of her grip before she could lock. He then turned himself around and performed a kick. The kick connected… however, he didn't expect to land the kick on her rear.

"Aah!" Alex cried out as she stumbled back, nearly losing her balance. She then quickly turned her head and turned around to face him.

"Sorry," Kenshi said.

Alex found herself smirking again. "Uh huh."

Kenshi ran towards her and once again they continued with their match. When he got the chance, Kenshi quickly placed a hand out and once again it was surrounded by a blue aura. He made a small push motion and this caused Alex to be pushed away from him. Being blind, Kenshi didn't immediately realize how close they were to the edge of the ring and soon enough, Alex found herself stumbling out of the ring in defeat.

The Shadow Priest stood up once she was out. "Winner: Kenshi!"

In the audience, Wagner looked over at Sonya. "Wow, Kenshi kicked Alex's butt… literally."

Sonya couldn't help but chuckle a little by the comment. "Indeed. Now where's my five bucks?"

"I only have two bucks!"

"Hand it over."

Wagner grumbled as he fished out two one dollar bills out of his pockets and placed it on Sonya's outstretched hands.

"There you go," Sonya said. "Now, I don't care how you get it, but you now owe me three bucks."

Wagner quickly looked over at Guile, who he knew was listening in on their conversation. "Guile, do you have three bucks?"

Guile shook his head. "Sorry Scott, you're on your own with this one."

"Damn!"

Meanwhile, Alex managed to sit herself up as Kenshi approached. He placed a hand out in front of her. Alex looked at his hand for a moment before taking it and pulling herself up with his help.

"You all right?" Kenshi asked.

Alex brushed her arm a bit. "Just a few scratches, but I'll be fine."

Kenshi nodded, despite the fact that, by the tone of her voice, he knew that she was a bit disappointed in herself from her loss.

"You did good," he complimented, something he rarely did. "Do you want to watch a couple of more matches before lunch?"

Alex shook her head. "Actually, I think I'll go take a walk for a bit. Usually, um, I like to do that after a fight. I'll catch up with you later."

With that, the young woman began heading out of the area. Kenshi had thought, briefly, about going after her, but then decided that it was best to leave her be for right now. He decided to stick around for a few more matches and headed back over to where his other allies were.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Entering Shao Kahn's throne room, Reptile made this way down the red carpet which lead to the Emperor's throne. A few moments ago, one of the guards approached him and told him that Shao Kahn had wanted to see him. Reptile wasn't sure what it was about, but he knew that it wasn't anything bad… at least he hoped.

Besides, even Shao Kahn himself said that he was the most loyal servant to him. Though Reptile was dedicated to serving his master, it was actually the only life he knew as of now. Having green scaly skin and other lizard-like features, he was part of a race called Saurians hailing from the now-extinct realm of Zaterra.

Years ago, Shao Kahn took control of the realm after their people lost ten consecutive tournaments called Mortal Kombat, a fate in which many other realms had fallen under (some had freed themselves with time). When Reptile was older, he pledged his services to the Emperor. It was one of the ways he could think of to survive after he became the last of his kind.

Like Mileena, he was exiled to the Netherrealm at one point by the courts of Edenia, when they freed themselves from Outworld, after being imprisoned. There he served the fallen Elder God Shinnok but has since returned to serving Shao Kahn. Shinnok had promised to revive his extinct race, but Shinnok never proceeded with the plan due to his defeat.

Serving Shao Kahn was the only life Reptile knew now, though he continued to search for any other surviving Saurians. However, he hasn't had that much luck with that, but he wasn't about to give up hope just yet.

Right now, however, he had to take care of the task at hand.

Shao Kahn sat at his throne as he waited for Reptile to approach him. Once he did, the Saurian immediately got on his knees and bowed his head to the Emperor.

"Rise!" Shao Kahn called out. Immediately, Reptile got on his feet and the Emperor continued. "I have an assignment for you."

Reptile looked up at his master, awaiting his task. "Yes massster?"

"We have been trying to capture Princess Kitana since the tournament began. However, there had been failed attempts since. You are one of my most loyal servants and I know that you are eager to do an assignment such as this one. Your task is to head to the main palace and capture the Princess."

Delight seemed to gleam over Reptile's eyes. "I won't fail you massster!"

"You better not!" Shao Kahn yelled out causing some echoes around the room. "Do not forget about Mileena's punishment when she failed to capture the Princess a second time. However, if you do not find her, then capture either Queen Sindel or Jade."

Reptiled bowed to Shao Kahn once again. Before he could speak, footsteps were heard from behind. Reptile and Shao Kahn turned to the footsteps and they saw Shang Tsung approaching the throne.

Shao Kahn looked at Reptile. "Leave for your task at once!"

Immediately, Reptile took his leave. Shang Tsung stood where he was silently until Reptile's footsteps were no longer heard. "I have come for a request," the sorcerer said.

Shao Kahn stared at him. "Go on."

Shang Tsung proceeded. "I had personally volunteered for Quan Chi's assignment. Currently, he is keeping an eye out on the woman we had chosen for Berserk. She had just lost the tournament today so it will not affect the outcome. Berserk, however, has been sitting around the dungeon since after his match with Guy. Perhaps we should let him loose today… let him go 'hunting.'"

Shao Kahn thought about this for a moment. Perhaps it was the fact that Berserk would be 'hunting' that brought a small smirk on his face.

"Perhaps he is deserving of the task. He has been quite loyal since we brought him here. As a matter of fact, I hardly need the medallion to keep him in control anymore." The Emperor looked down at the sorcerer. "I'll grant the request. However, if your plan fails…"

"Don't not worry," Shang Tsung assured. "I will make sure everything goes according to plan."

~~~

**Beach, Near the Cave**

Julia Chang sipped some hot tea from her mug as she gazed at the water a few feet from her. She admired the small waves in the clear water with Outworld's sun reflecting it's light on it.

As she continued to look at the scenery, thoughts of the tournament came to her. Julia had her own match coming up in two days and she wondered if she was going to move on to the next round. She knew that more rounds came and went, the better the fighters were getting.

Julia also wondered if coming to the tournament was even worth it. The whole reason she came here was because she received a letter with the invitation saying that if she came, she would find out the fate of her mother. As of now, she hasn't found anything nor has she found the person who sent her the letter (and she assumed they didn't find her either).

The word 'fate' left her a bit worried. It meant 'a final outcome of something,' and Julia had the feeling that it wasn't a good thing. However, she tried her best to keep her spirits up. It was what Michelle would've wanted.

Despite that, she realized that the tournament wasn't a total loss… after all she made some good new friends here including Ken and Ryu. When the tournament ended, she knew that it was going to feel strange when she says goodbye to these people and part ways. She felt as though they had been here for years.

As she continued with her thoughts, Julia heard footsteps near her. She turned her head and saw Mika walking by. Mika happened to see her at the same time and Julia became a bit surprised when she noticed her narrowing her eyes at her, as though she had something against her.

Julia decided to say something. "Um, what did I do?" she asked.

Immediately, Mika realized that her eyes were squinted and assumed Julia took it the wrong way. She widened her eyes more. "Um, sorry about that… eh, I had something in my eye…"

Even despite apologizing, Julia couldn't help but feel a bit of tension between the two of them and couldn't understand why. _We hardly see each other around,_ she thought. _Maybe I'm just overreacting…_

Then, another set of footsteps were heard and both girls turned their head. They were both a bit surprised to see Ryu coming up to them. He noticed the both of them and sighed a little, also feeling the tension.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Mika looked at him, then Julia, and then back at him. "Not much. I was, eh, just heading back to the cave. I'll see you later." Then she walked passed Ryu and began heading back.

Ryu sighed a little once again. He then looked at Julia. "I'm going to go train for a bit, in case anyone's looking for me."

Julia nodded to him before he departed as well. She looked back at the scenery in front of her and sighed. That was just weird, she thought. She tried to enjoy the view again, but this time, the scene just didn't look as nice as it was before.

~~~

**Near The Forest**

Looking down at Ibuki's grave, Li Mei silently placed flowers near the stone baring her friend's name. Holding back the tears that developed in her eyes, she placed a finger over Ibuki's name and traced the I at the beginning of the name as she said a prayer that she always said to herself when she was enslaved in her town;

_O Holy One, Give Me Strength,_  
Just Enough To Live Through Each Day.  
With Guidance And New Wisdom,  
I Will Find My Way. 

Li Mei sat there for another moment before standing herself up. "I will make myself a better person," she said to herself. She then walked over to the edge of the forest, which wasn't too far from the grave site.

For a moment, she stood straight, closing her eyes and taking long deep breaths as if she was meditating. She thought about each person she had come in to contact with during the good times in Sun Do, knowing now that they were gone from this world.

Then, Li Mei opened her eyes and drew out her sword. She began her training for the day, swinging her sword in different directions and letting out a few short grunts in the process. She concentrated mainly on her training, but also the area she was training in, not caring about anything else around her.

Unknown to Li Mei, Alex came by the area as she began her walk after losing in the tournament earlier. Just before she entered the forest, Alex stopped for a moment and watch Li Mei train with full concentration. She saw how focused she was, probably much more than she ever saw in her since the day she met.

It was obvious that Li Mei was trying to get over her trauma of witnessing Ibuki's death, but Alex saw that there may be more than that, though it was something she wasn't going to ask about. It wasn't any of her business anyway. That was unless Li Mei talked to her about it.

Even when Alex was in Li Mei's view, she still hadn't noticed. Alex noticed her eyes then… they showed no emotions, but somehow it hinted some sorrow and maybe a bit of anger. Obviously, Li Mei was trying to hold it all in.

As a matter of fact, Alex noticed that Li Mei was wearing some revealing clothes. Wearing an all purple attire, a bandana was placed on Li Mei's head. She also wore a pair of long, finger-cut gloves, a two-piece bikini-like outfit with a gold trinket on each outfit, and long boots that ended above her knees. A long lavender sash dangled on the right side of her bottom bikini.

Knowing that she seemed very focused on her training, Alex decided to leave her be. Besides, she needed to clear out her own mind anyway. Soon, she headed into the forest…

~~~

**Main Palace Grounds**

Reptile had just arrived in the area, keeping himself in his invisible form so that no one was able to see him. Obviously, the main plan was to make his way to the room of the Edenian royals, which was on the top floor, room six hundred. Unseen, he began making his way towards the entrance.

Just as he began to pass the statues, luck came to him as Jade herself exited the doors. It was perfect timing. He stood by the statue and waiting to see where Jade was heading off to. To his delight, she began taking the path towards the forest. He only hoped that no one was around in there.

Once she entered the forest, Reptile, still keeping himself invisible, began to follow her.

Meanwhile, while carrying a small black duffle bag and her bojustsu staff, Jade walked through the main path. She heard about the outdoor hot springs, which was location about fifteen minutes from the main palace. She had wanted to take a visit, but either she never had the chance to or she never gave it a thought until she was in the waters of the indoor hot springs.

It was not long ago that she heard someone talk about it on her way back to her room from lunch. She decided to take the chance then while it was still fresh in her mind and informed Sindel and Kitana where she was heading. She packed a couple of towels in her bag before heading out.

However, before she goes in the springs, she planned to do some training. She had her match tomorrow so it was a good time to prepare herself in the meantime.

A few minutes passed and she figured by then that she was just about halfway from the springs. As she continued walking, she suddenly heard one of the bushes sway rapidly.

Immediately she stopped herself, tightening her grip around her staff. The wind today was light, so there was no way that a bush would sway that violently.

Obviously, someone was following her and were in invisible form.

 _Not too stealthy are we?_ she thought.

Quickly, Jade swung her staff around the area that surrounded her. She suddenly struck an invisible force and it caused the person after her to reappear. Upon seeing his face, Jade immediately recognized him.

"Reptile!" she called out as she got herself in a fighting stance.

Reptile looked at her a bit surprised at first. Indeed she improved since they last saw each other…when they were working together to retrieve Princess Kitana during Outworld's invasion of Earthrealm. During that time, Jade had chosen to join Kitana's side, betraying not only Reptile, but Shao Kahn as well.

The thought of their past enraged Reptile. Acid began to ooze from his mouth and with a loud howl, he jumped after Jade.

Sticking on offense, Reptile threw violent punches and kicks at Jade, at one point knocking her staff out of her hands. This immediately forced Jade to rely on her hand to hand skills and she quickly got herself on defense from Reptile's attacks. She did this until she saw an opening and jabbed an open palm strike at him, causing Reptile to back up a bit before attacking once again.

The fight went on for some time, both combatants looking to be quite even. Then, Jade tried to perform a shadow kick, a green mist following her as she glided over to Reptile with one foot out. However, Reptile was able to block the move before curling himself into a ball and rolled himself forward, knocking Jade to the ground.

Reptile straightened himself out as Jade sat herself up recovering from the move. Just before she could begin getting herself up, a loud scream was heard, forcing her to cover her ears. The sound waves caused Reptile to float towards the person who made the scream, who was none other than Sindel.

Jade stood herself up and was just about to make her move when a blue mist appeared near Reptile. Kitana appeared from within the mist and quickly kicked Reptile from behind, sending him flying away. After landing on the ground, Reptile got himself back up. He turned around and noticed all three of the Edenian royals in their fighting stances, ready to fight.

 _No,_ Reptile thought in dismay, knowing that he couldn't take on all three by himself. _I failed my masssster!_ He then quickly turned himself invisible once again and got away.

"Damn!" Jade called out. She sighed deeply before turning towards Kitana and Sindel. "How did you know I was fighting him?"

"We didn't," said Kitana. "It was all coincidence. I ended up having the same idea of going into the springs and mother and I were just about to meet you over there."

Sindel sighed to herself. "Now we have a problem on our hands. This was not the first time we've been ambushed by one of Shao Kahn's servants. Obviously, they want to capture us for whatever plan they have… for now on, we're going to have to stick together and remain on guard."

Kitana and Jade nodded in agreement. Sindel sighed herself and looked up into the purple sky. "If only we had some help…"

~~~

**Cave**

Emerging from his room, Ken Masters rubbed his eyes a bit, having just woken up from his sleep. He had already got himself dressed, ready, and was about to head to the palace for lunch when he saw Ryu enter his room next door.

Ken stood where he was for a moment and decided to give Ryu a visit before he headed off. He took the few steps to his room and pulled the curtain. "Hey Ryu, what's up?" he asked.

Ryu had just sat on his bed when Ken entered his room. He looked up at him. "Not much… however, I think things are getting a little crazy around here."

Ken couldn't help but laugh a bit. He walked into the room more and stood in front of his friend. "So what makes you think that?"

"Well," Ryu answered. "It's kind of weird really… but when I was heading out to do some training, I ran into Mika and Julia. I could've sworn that there was a bit of tension between the two-"

Before he could finish, Ken flashed a big grin and patted Ryu on the back. "Let's face it Ryu… they both want you!"

Ryu looked up at him a bit surprised. "We're just friends Ken. Nothing more."

Ken laughed again as he sat down on the bed next to Ryu. "Ryu… when two girls act like that over a guy, it obviously means that they both like him and, most likely… they'll compete for you."

Ryu looked at him a bit oddly. "Ken, I'm sure that it's not over me. It could've been about anything."

"True… but still, keep that in mind."

Ryu sighed to himself quietly. Whatever was the case, this type of thing was one of the last things he needed right now.

~~~

**Forest**

Alex spent about three hours walking through the quiet forest, only a light wind being heard. During her walk, she was able to clear her mind a bit and get herself to relax.

Once the third hour passed, she decided to head back to the cave. Besides, her stomach was beginning to grumble for food. She looked up towards the sky and was a bit surprise that it was suddenly mid-afternoon. Though her walk was only three hours long, time seemed to go much faster than that. Aside from that, she knew that her allies would be wondering where she was. Soon she began heading back, knowing that it was going to take her about twenty minutes or so to get back to the cave grounds.

About five minutes passed as Alex continued heading back. She stopped for a moment to adjust one of the laces of her black boots that was beginning to become loose.

As she tied them, she felt a bit of a rumble underneath her feet. She stayed still for a moment to see if she felt the rumble again. A few seconds passed before she felt it again. Soon, more rumbling was heard and it began to go in a rhythmic motion.

Alex straightened herself up. She felt the wind suddenly picking up and the leaves on the trees began to sway with it. A dreaded feeling began to come over her and she didn't like it one bit.

To be safe, she pulled out her black Glock Model 40 gun, which was fully loaded. To have it in her hand at least made her feel a bit secure, even though she had done this plenty of times before.

She began walking forward again, this time in a much faster pace in hopes of getting back to the cave grounds sooner. The wind calmed down a bit once she began going and the rumbling seemed to stop. Either way, she wasn't about to take her chances.

 _Maybe I should've stayed at the arena with the others,_ she thought suddenly.

It was then that she heard a growl behind her, forcing her to stop in her tracks. Pointing her gun out, she quickly turned to the area behind her. It was at the same time that an eight foot man with bulging muscles appeared from behind the thick trees. Having grayish-blue skin, countless scars, and colorless eyes, he was indeed a zombie.

For the first time since she could remember, fear came over Alex upon seeing the monster before him. Judging by his size alone, Alex knew that she couldn't fight him hand to hand. On instinct, she began pulling the trigger on her gun.

Alex ending up using all of her rounds. Though all the bullets hit the monster, it had little effect on him. More fear came over her as she dropped her gun. Then quickly, having no other choice, she turned around and began running for her life with the monster chasing after her.

As she ran, she knew that the monster wasn't too far away. However, she didn't dare to look behind her. She was told never to look back when being chased by the enemy. She didn't even want to think about what he was going to do to her if he even reached her.

Then, the heavy footsteps behind her stopped. Alex ran a few more feet before daring herself to turn around, only to find that he was gone. She mentally slapped herself, ignoring one of the first rules of being chased by the enemy. Had she continued to run, she wouldn't have to worry about exactly where he was hiding right about now.

Alex felt her heart racing and was short of breath from running. She quickly looked around the area hoping that the monster had given up and ran off. Having no other choice, she began heading into the direction that she was originally running.

She only ran a few feet when the monster suddenly appeared in front of her, causing her to scream in terror. Using his large hand, he smacked her hard enough to send her flying sideways before crashing into one of the trees. The impact rendered her unconscious and her body stumbled to the ground like a rag doll.

The monster looked down at her with a bit of curiosity afterward. Then, from behind, the sorcerer Shang Tsung appeared, having watched the whole scenario and following them until the end. He had already sent Quan Chi on his way to prepare the cell they were going to put Alex in.

He walked over to the monster and looked up at him. "I would've expected to find her in a public place… however, this was pure luck, much better than we anticipated. Shao Kahn will be most pleased with you Berserk."

Berserk made a low growl as Shang Tsung walked over to Alex, who had landed on her side facing away from him. He bent down and turned her on her back, getting a better look at her face. He stared at her for a moment, noting the small amount of blood trickling down from the side of her head from the impact.

Then, the sorcerer stood up, dragging her with him before throwing her over his shoulder. "Indeed, Shao Kahn will be most pleased."

Soon, he and Berserk disappeared within the darkness of the forest…


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine

**Early Evening, Unknown Area**

Standing in front of the main doors that lead to the sleeping quarters, Adon was beginning to grow impatient. The complete silence and the fact that no one else was around the area was giving him more time to think.

 _Exactly how long have I been working for the Emperor of Outworld?_ the Thailand native thought to himself. _I could've had my revenge by now!_

Indeed his thirst for revenge was still as thriving as the day he declared it. Every once in a blue moon would Adon see Havik, the man who left permanent scars on Adon's face from their match during the second round of the tournament. Each and every time, Adon wanted to attack him from there, but to his dismay he kept his ground. It was either because they were at a meeting or when one or the other was forced to be kept busy by another matter.

 _This is ridiculous!_ Adon screamed out in his mind. _I should attack him the next time I see him!_

Besides, he began to wonder why in the world was he guarding the hallway to the sleeping quarters of all places.

_Obviously, these idiots are not aware of my true potential. When I do defeat Havik, they'll know why I'm called The Muay Thai God!_

About another half hour passed before Adon was able to hear footsteps not too far from him. A part of him hoped that another guard was coming to take his place. However, once he heard that there were more than one set of footsteps, he grunted a bit in disappointment.

Soon, Adon was able to see who was coming, three people to be exact… and he immediately recognized one of them.

 _Havik,_ he thought bitterly. _And there he is with his red-headed whore and some idiot who looks like he came out of Star Wars._

As the three approached the doors to the sleeping quarters, Kira began to undo her pigtails, letting her red hair fall and end just above her shoulders. "So that's where we'll have our next meeting?"

"Yes," said Kabal. "We'll see you tonight."

Kira nodded as she walked passed Adon and entered the hallway to the sleeping quarters.

Havik found himself laughing a bit once the doors closed. "If she moved to Chaosrealm for good, she'd definitely fit in."

It was then that Havik noticed the guard by the doors and instantly recognized him. It was Adon, the imbecile who wanted revenge against him all because he left just a few dotted scars on his face.

 _Heh, it's like I amputated one of his limbs,_ Havik thought. _…although that does sound like fun right about now!_

The Cleric of Chaos decided to just screw around with his head for right now. Adon had already noticed him staring at him and so he stared back at him bitterly. Despite having no skin over his mouth, Havik seemed to smile. He then began to walk away with his back to him. Kabal began to follow.

 _Coward,_ Adon thought.

It was then that a loud snap! was heard and Adon almost became startled as he saw that Havik had twisted his own neck halfway around to face him. He then raised a hand and waved at him a couple of times before snapping his neck back to it's normal position.

Anger rushed in suddenly and Adon found himself clenching his fist. _How dare he mocks me!_ he screamed out in his mind again. He wanted to attack him right now… however, he somehow couldn't find himself to move forward.

~~~

**Main Palace**

Room two fifty eight on the second floor was quiet with the exception of the running water coming from the bathroom, indicating that someone was taking a shower.

Sitting on the bed with gold sheets, Viper sat still, her face completely blank without any indications of emotion. She stared straight ahead with both of her hands resting on her lap and her long blonde hair falling over her shoulders. Her master Vega had gone in the bathroom to shower and ordered her to wait on the bed until he came out.

Normally in her state, Viper thought of nothing except for any orders that she was given. However, Vega was known to take very long showers in order to keep himself in perfection. The longer he was away, the less hold he had on her…and slowly, she was beginning to free herself from his control. However, Vega was always on alert and he made sure that she was completely under his control.

Soon, flashbacks began to come back to Viper… flashbacks that were long forgotten;

_Unknown Time_

_Young women between the ages of sixteen and twenty stood next to one another, their left arms raised in a salute as they stood in their spots. All of them were dressed in skin tight uniforms, a two piece attire with both pieces in the same very dark blue color. The exception was that the top contained black stripes. All wore black boots ending below their knees and contain small high heels. They also wore thick red gauntlets over their arms and hands and each one bared a small cap on their heads that matched their outfits._

_As they did, a large man in a red uniform came into the room, the brim of his hat hiding most of his face. He walked past each girl and didn't acknowledge anything aside from a brief stare._

_Once he passed the last girl, an old man with balding gray hair, sunglasses, and a white lab coat stepped forward. "Master Bison," he spoke. "These ladies are ready for duty."_

_"Good," Bison said with a small sneer. "In the meantime, I have chosen my four elite shoulders. These four girls, the oldest four, were handpicked based upon their skills. They will have more of a chance to succeed where the other dolls may fail."_

_He then spoke to the dolls themselves. “You are much more worthy than you'll ever know. You are all to take orders without question."_

_"Yes sir!" all the girls cried out in unison._

It was then that Viper found herself shaking a bit. Her once emotionless face now hinted confusion. The young woman looked down at her hands as her body continued to shake a bit. She then looked around the room slowly as though she wasn't sure where she was. Then she spoke…

"Mom… Dad…" she uttered. Viper looked around the room more as though trying to figure out what was going on. She looked at her hands again and this time, she uttered a name.

"…Scott?"

Throughout the whole time, she hadn't noticed that the running water in the bathroom had long shut off. She hadn't noticed the door opening either and she hadn't noticed the towering figure now standing over her.

Suddenly, Viper suddenly felt herself being grabbed by the shoulders and forcefully pulled up. She let out a small cry as though surprised before a set of lips claimed her own. Viper looked on wide-eyed still trying to figure out what was going on. She even struggled a bit, but after a minute, she began to relax and all she remembered, or tried to remember, were now long forgotten.

Once he was sure, Vega released Viper and let her sit back on the bed. Once again, the blank expression was on her face.

"That's better," Vega said. "But that was too close. I need to take better care of you, don't I my dear?"

Viper said nothing. It was then that Vega realized something… she had uttered a name… Scott. Vega himself was fully aware that her real full name was Lisa Ann Wagner. It was definitely no coincidence on exactly who Scott was.

"So," Vega said. "You're related to Scott Wagner aren't you? Isn't that just sweet? To think that we almost captured him months ago but he managed to escape." He looked out the window that was across room. "Hmph, makes me wonder if he's actually here."

He stood himself up then and placed a hand under Viper's chin, slowly forcing her to bend her neck back a bit so that she was looking up at him.

"If I discover that Mr. Wagner is here in the tournament," Vega said to her. "We'll make arrangements to… get rid of him."

"Yes master…" Viper muttered.

~~~

**Another Part of the Main Palace**

Sitting on the balcony, Kitana, Jade and Sindel looked on at the scenery before them. The sun was beginning to set down behind the mountains and darkness was setting in for the night.

A small frown appeared on Sindel's face as she took a sip of red wine from her glass. "I don't think any of this is coincidence," she said to her daughter and friend. "First, Kitana was attacked by Mileena and the tarkatan hordes and now Jade was nearly attacked by Reptile."

"To think that we thought they were both dead at some point," replied Kitana.

"To think that we worked with them too, once upon a time," mentioned Jade.

Sindel shook her head a bit. "I'm just glad that we came to your rescue on time," she said to Jade. She then turned her head to Kitana. "And I'm glad that Siegfried was there at the right time."

"I know mother," Kitana replied. "But, um, I'm sure that either way, I would've managed fine."

The Queen of Edenia sighed. "Obviously, they work for Shao Kahn and are after us for some reason, most likely to capture us. I fear that if something isn't done, then one of us may get hurt, or worse…"

"Perhaps I can investigate," offered Jade.

"That won't be necessary right now," said Kitana. "Let's wait until one more of his minions come after us. That way, we can easily get answers as to why they're doing this now and if this was the only reason I received the invitation to this tournament."

"That may be best," agreed Sindel. "We can't just run into things blindly. Shao Kahn has since relocated so we don't even know where he is right now. Wait until we find some sort of clue. All we do now is wait."

The three fell silent then and continued looking on at the scenery before them.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

In a chamber, Sektor walked into one of the quiet rooms. He looked around the place, which was now the new hideout ever since Sub-Zero and Matrik attacked their last place of hiding. Noob Saibot had picked this place almost immediately after since it was farther from the tournament grounds and they had the most likely chance of not being found so easily.

When Sektor entered the room, he saw Noob sitting on a small throne, one of the items that were abandoned in this chamber. Noob looked on as his elbows were placed on the arm rest, one hand dangling off the rest and the other under his chin. His right ankle also rested on his left knee.

"So," Sektor said. "Are you going to sit there and do nothing?"

"Of course not, you imbecile!" Noob called out as he straightened himself out in his chair. "Even a wraith would like some time alone with his thoughts. Besides, with the length of this tournament there is plenty of time to make plans, which is why I'm sitting here."

"You do remember that our last plan failed," Sektor reminded him. "This would not have happened if Matrik hadn't followed you and Smoke! And now we have bigger problems. Not only do I have Matrik on my tail and Ashrah on your tail, but now Sub-Zero is involved! It was definitely the last thing we needed."

"It was," Noob agreed as he stood up from the chair. "I will admit, however, that Sub-Zero has gotten stronger since the last time I saw him."

"That was when-" Sektor began to say.

"Do not concern yourself with them right now," Noob cut in. "And besides, I've come up with a plan. There's a… machine that I want you to build for me starting tomorrow."

Sektor stared at the wraith. "You want another machine to create more cyborgs?"

Noob shook his head. "Even better. This machine will benefit the both of us. We'll be able to take down our enemies much more easily, especially ones like Sub-Zero. Come…we'll discuss this with Smoke as well."

"Very well," Sektor said.

Then, the both of them walked out of the chamber.

~~~

**Dungeons**

After being knocked out for a few hours, Alex finally woke up. She fluttered her eyes for a bit, trying to adjust them. Even with them opened, it still felt as though they were closed.

"Huh…" she muttered. She looked around the room and realized that it was nearly dark. She saw the very small window nearby and saw that it was now dark outside.

 _How long have I been here?_ she asked herself.

It was then that she realized that she wasn't lying down… rather she was right side up. Alex also noticed that her arms were above her head. She tried to pull them down, but somehow couldn't. She looked up and, to her surprise, saw that her wrists were bounded by a rope that was hanging off the ceiling.

"Wha-" she tried to say, but upon moving her head quickly, she suddenly felt dizzy. She forced herself to stay still as the room seemed to spin, making her shut her eyes.

Soon, the dizziness stopped and Alex opened her eyes again. It was at that moment that she heard a low growl, making her heart stop. She frantically shifted her eyes around, trying to see if anyone was in the room with her.

After a minute, a figured stepped into the light that came through the window. The moment Alex saw his face, she immediately realized that this was the monster Berserk who had chased her down in the forest a while before. Somehow, and she couldn't find herself to remember at the moment, he had managed to catch her.

Berserk walked over to her until he was less than a foot away from her. Alex felt her breath becoming short and shaky as fear once again came over her. It was such a fear that she hadn't notice her own tears falling down her face.

Berserk brought up a thumb to Alex's face and he began to rub her cheek with it. Even with this gentle touch, Alex's lips began to quiver a bit and some whimpers began to escape her throat.

He then stepped back a bit. Alex then saw the black rope-like object in his hand and she suddenly realized exactly what was going to happen to her.

Throughout the dungeon, screams of terror and pain could be heard. It even reached the cell in which Paul Phoenix stayed at. He sat on the ground, laying his back against the wall as he once again heard the sounds of torture.

 _It looks as though they found someone…_ Paul thought. _And it had to be a woman…_

For once in Paul's life, he wished, instead of the woman, that he was the one on the receiving end of Berserk's madness at this very minute…

~~~

**Cave Grounds, Near The Beach**

With his eyes closed, Dan Hibiki got himself to meditate, sitting cross-legged against a tree. Sitting just next to him against another tree was his mentor Nightwolf.

For a while now, Nightwolf was helping the pink-clad man become a better fighter mentally. They mostly meditated, but sometimes Nightwolf would tell a story as Dan concentrated. The stories told of a journey and Dan always felt as though he went on these journeys in his mind.

Dan had been grateful for all of this. He admitted that he wasn't exactly the easiest person to be taught a lesson, but for the first time, he was able to have someone help him without losing their sanity. Nightwolf perhaps consisted of all the patience in the world, something that was rare to find in anyone these days.

As he continued meditating, Nightwolf spoke. "Let's end the session for the day. Tomorrow night, we'll go in the forest and I will tell you the story of how my forefathers gained the wisdom that was passed down for generations."

"That's sounds good," said Dan as he opened his eyes. He then looked out at the water that was a few yards ahead of them.

Nightwolf looked at his student. "You seemed bother by something, my friend."

Dan sighed a bit. "Not really. I guess it's that I feel that I haven't reached the level I want to reach yet."

"You should not worry about how far you want yourself to go," Nightwolf answered. "What matters is that how far your journey takes you and the experiences you get from it. With patience and guidance, you will reach your achievements."

"You're right," Dan said. "But still, I haven't really accomplished much-"

"You're twenty-eight years old," Nightwolf cut in. "There are people who don't accomplish any goals until they are elders. With time, you will reach your accomplishments."

Dan found himself smiling. "Maybe… ha! And if I do, maybe then I'll be strong enough to take on an eight foot man with four arms!"

Nightwolf laughed a bit. "That may be, but you'll know when the time comes."

Then they both got up and began heading back to the cave for the night.

~~~

**Cave Grounds, Campfire**

After taking a bath in the hot springs, Wagner reached the cave grounds after a bit of a walk. He noticed that the air became more colder than normal. For the first time since arriving in Outworld, he was forced to zip up the brown jacket he wore, the jacket that once belonged to his father.

Wagner, at one point, looked down at the jacket for a moment and lightly brushed the black sewn thread that was in scripted 'K. Wagner.' The K meant Kurt, which was also Wagner's middle name. Wagner smirked a bit, remembering the jokes of how his father was somehow named after Nightcrawler's real name, Kurt Wagner, of X-Men. However, his father was born before the character existed so it was purely a coincidence.

The Air Force Sergeant soon reached where the campfire was. The campfire was lit and he saw Sonya, Chun Li, and Lei sitting by it. Wagner decided to join with them then, wanting to get himself warm before hitting the hay for the night.

"Hey Wagner," greeted Chun Li as she noticed him.

"Hey, how is everyone?" Wagner asked.

A grin came over Sonya's face. "This is what's up," she said as he lifted up a bottle of Outworld liquor that was in her hand.

"Get that thing away from me!" Wagner called out. "When Guile told me what happened in this very spot when we first discovered that thing, I vowed to never drink again until we got back to Earthrealm."

"I couldn't agree more," said Lei who was with him that night.

"Good, all for me and Chun Li," said Sonya as she took a swig before passing it to Chun Li. "Now to tell you one of those little jokes just because I'm bored."

Wagner sat next to her then. "Okay, shoot."

Sonya cleared her throat then. "Okay so a man escapes from prison. He breaks into a house to look for money and guns and finds a young couple in bed. He orders the guy out of bed and ties him to a chair, while tying the girl to the bed he gets on top of her, kisses her neck, then gets up and goes into the bathroom. While he's in there, the husband tells his wife:

'Listen, this guy's an escaped convict, look at his clothes! He probably spent lots of time in jail and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, don't resist, don't complain, do whatever he tells you. Satisfy him no matter how much he nauseates you. This guy is probably very dangerous. If he gets angry, he'll kill us. Be strong, honey. I love you.'

To which his wife responds: 'He wasn't kissing my neck. He was whispering in my ear. He told me he was gay, thought you were cute, and asked me if we had any vaseline. I told him it was in the bathroom. Be strong honey. I love you too!'"

The joke got some giggles from the three of them. "I've heard of that one," said Wagner.

"Okay Wagner," said Sonya. "Why don't you tell us a joke then."

Wagner grinned. "I got a few of those! Okay here's one; There was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink for a half hour. Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says, 'Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry.'

Then the man says, 'No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a cab to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away. I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison.'"

"Oh!" cried out Lei. "Sucks for the trucker guy. He should've known never to drink a stranger's drink because you never know what you're drinking."

"Tell me about it," replied Chun Li.

"That was nothing," said Sonya. "I heard that one too."

"So Chun Li," said Wagner. "Have any jokes for us?"

Chun-Li smiled a bit. "Well… not really, just a couple of dumb blonde jokes I know…"

"Shoot!" cried out Sonya as she snapped her fingers. "I love those, but I don't know, they might offend Wagner."

"Hey!" Wagner called out. "You're blonde too!"

"Hey Kenshi," Lei suddenly said.

The three of them looked at Lei for a second, seeing that he was looking up passed them. Then they turned to where he was looking and saw Kenshi standing a few feet from them.

"Care for a drink?" Sonya offered to him.

Kenshi shook his head a bit. "That's all right, thanks anyway. Actually, I was wondering… have any of you seen Alex? I haven't, well, sensed her around since our match this morning.”

Sonya looked down, thinking for a moment before looking back up at the swordsman. "Well, I did tell Cammy and Lita that if they saw her that she should join up with them with their assignment at the main palace. I'm sure she's with them as we speak."

As Sonya spoke, Wagner looked up at him. Sure the guy was always frowning, but this time it, seemed to be more than usual. Even when he spoke, there was a hint of worry, even for what Wagner called a grumpy guy.

 _Perhaps he does care for us more than he's leading on,_ he thought.

"I haven't seen her around either," said Chun Li.

"Same here," replied Lei. "But then again, there are so many people even in this cave so it's easy to miss at least one person during the day. I'm sure she's with Cammy and Lita as Sonya said so there's nothing to worry about."

Kenshi slowly nodded. "I guess that's assuring enough. I think I'll go to bed for the night and hopefully, she'll be around here in the morning."

"That sounds like a good idea," Sonya said as she stood up. "I should do the same before I drink too much. Good night everyone."

"Good night," everyone said as she and Kenshi headed back to the cave.

When they were far enough, Wagner stood up. "You know what… I think I'm going to hit the hay too. Something tells me that tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"All right then," said Lei.

"Good night," said Chun Li.

Wagner waved to them before heading back to the cave.

Lei stretched himself a bit as he found himself taking the Outworld liquor in his hand. "Well Wagner may be right. With you having your match tomorrow, I think tomorrow is going to indeed be a long day."

Chun-Li stood herself up. "Maybe, but we'll see."

Once again, Lei stretched himself. "Now, let's go back in and-"

Little did Lei realize that the bottle slipped out of his hand and landed right in the campfire! The fire caused a loud explosion and it shot up upward and into the sky. Lei jumped forward in surprise as Chun Li let out a loud shriek in surprise.

Soon, the both of them found themselves on the ground and it took them another second to realize that Lei was right on top of Chun Li! For a moment, the two looked at each other in a bit of surprise, unsure of what to do next.

Then, Chun Li managed to smile. "Well, um… this is awkward."

Lei found himself smiling a bit too. "Yeah… I guess."

Soon, they heard running footsteps near them. Lei and Chun Li sat up just in time to see a small crowd gather near them including Raiden and Rose. Using psychic powers, Rose quickly put out the campfire.

Cody, standing not too far from them, couldn't help but grin. "So you two… where's the real fire?" He then followed with a wink.

"Don't make me throw a rock at you!" called out Chun Li.

"Watch it," Cody said. "I'm an expert at that!"

As they continued with their argument Raiden examined the now unlit campfire for a moment. Not too long after, he noticed the shard glass pieces in and around the rocks and he sighed to himself.

_Another bottle of liquor wasted._

~~~

**Unknown Area**

A door opened on the other side of the room, catching Shao Kahn's attention. For a moment, he only saw a shadow, but once the door closed, he was able to recognize the person who entered the room.

"I have been wondering where you were," the Emperor said as Ivy Valentine entered his throne room.

Ivy walked down the red carpet that led to his throne in which he sat upon. Once she reached it, she looked at him. "Yes… I was checking on the dungeon and making assignments for the night. Everything is set."

"Very good," Shao Kahn replied. A pause lingered for a moment before he waved his hand over. "Come next to my throne."

Ivy did as she was told and approached his throne. She soon found herself just standing a foot away from where he sat. "Any assignments for tonight?" she asked.

"None at all. At least not for you. I've already given everyone their assignment for the night so it'll mostly be quiet around here."

"That's good to know," Ivy said. "At least I'll get my beauty rest."

Shao Kahn looked up at her. "You'll need it, especially since you have a match tomorrow. Which reminds me… you have been doing quite well throughout this whole tournament. I suspect that you'll make it quite far."

"I may," Ivy replied with a small smirk.

Then to her surprise, Shao Kahn slowly lifted up a hand and placed his fingers lightly under her chin, brushing it slightly. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and her lips slightly parted open. In this moment, she completely forgot about the main reason she was here… right now, she was enjoying the soft touch from the very man she was supposed to steal the medallion from.

"You're one of the stronger fighter here," Shao Kahn said to her. "You'll make it far."

Then he pulled his hand away and Ivy found herself opening her eyes. For some reason, she felt slightly disappointed the moment he pulled his hand away.

As she got herself to focus again, a thought came to her… one that lingered in her mind since she left the dungeon…

"I don't mean to question you, my lord," Ivy said looking straight into his eyes. "When I at the dungeon before, I saw the new prisoner… I'm curious to know why she was brought here."

Shao Kahn nodded a little. "Merely for Berserk's amusement. We weren't ready to put Paul in the same cell with him. I wanted him alive just for another couple of days. Until then, Berserk does need to be occupied."

"…I see," Ivy managed to say.

"Take your leave," Shao Kahn suggested. "You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Yes, Emperor," Ivy said. Soon she stepped down and began heading towards the exit. She opened the door, stepped out, then closed it.

The moment the door closed, Ivy was able to let a grim look befall on her face. _That poor girl,_ she thought. _All for that…there truly isn't a real reason for her to be here…just a toy for Berserk to play with…_

Ivy sighed to herself and began walking down the hall. If she wasn't bound to her alliance with the Emperor, perhaps she would be the one to get her out of there. Unfortunately, there was nothing that she could do herself.

She just had to hope for a miracle.


	41. Chapter Forty

**Cave**

The sun was just barely coming up from behind the tall mountains the next morning when Kenshi woke up. Unknown to him, he was the first in the cave to wake up that morning.

Sitting up, the first thing that came to his mind, as every morning, was going out to do some training just as he always did since coming to Outworld. Besides, he won round four of the tournament and wanted to prepare himself for the next round.

As he thought about the tournament, it suddenly clicked in his mind… he had not sensed Alex around since she made her leave around lunch time after their match. She had said that she was going to take a walk for a while and Kenshi had expected her to return around dinner time.

When that passed, he had approached Sonya, Wagner, Chun Li, and Lei to see if they knew where she was. Sonya had believed that Alex was with Cammy and Lita doing investigations at the main palace since she had told the two to ask her to go with them when they saw her. Kenshi felt somewhat assured and immediately went to bed afterwards, believing that she would return a little later and hit the hay herself.

…He had to make sure.

Taking his crimson colored blindfold which was on top of one of his bags, he placed it around his eyes and tied it in a double knot behind his head. He then got himself out of bed and stood up. Wearing only a pair of loose black sweatpants leaving him barefoot and shirtless, he stepped out of his room.

Alex's room was a few rooms down going towards the exit of the cave and across the hall (if you could call it a hall). When he reached her room, he expected her to be sleeping in her bed.

"Alex?" he said only loud enough for her to hear. He slightly put a hand out in order to sense if she really was there. However, to his dismay, she wasn't.

To make sure his senses weren't playing tricks on him, Kenshi walked into the room more and felt the bed with his hands. The bed was empty, the only things there were the sheets, a single pillow, and an unfolded blanket.

Afterward, Kenshi immediately figured that something had happened to Alex. Knowing her for over a year since joining Special Forces, he knew that she wasn't the type who would run off for a long period of time and not tell anyone. Besides, if someone had told him now that she may have got up already to get breakfast, he wouldn't buy it… she never woke up this early before as far as he knew unless they were on a mission.

Being gone for some time now, anything could've happened. He only hoped that she wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere deep in the forest.

Either way, he felt that he should go out and find her.

Kenshi left Alex's room and went back in his own. He got himself dressed in his full black outfit which consisted of some red trims on his arms and his knees, a white sash that went around his torso and over his right shoulder decorated with a red trim, yellow kanji and a picture of a red dragon. He also wore a pair of black boots and finger cut gloves with a crimson kanji on the back of each hand.

Once he was fully dressed, he got his sword, which was in it's scabbard, and got it placed in it's usual spot behind his back. With his sword, he was better able to sense his surroundings, especially if he ended up venturing to places he hasn't been to before.

When Kenshi was ready, he quietly left the cave without notifying anyone.

~~~

**Later That Morning, Forest**

"This is going to be fun," said Maki. "I'm glad that we're going to break from our normal routine. I wanted to do something new anyway."

Yun looked at her a little oddly. "I think I'd rather go to the main palace for breakfast."

"Quit being a baby," replied his sister Yin. "Hunting fruits for breakfast is not as bad as you think. Besides, this is what we girls do every week for berries."

The three of them, along with Yang, Xianghua, and Maxi, walking through the forest's trail in hopes of finding some fruit to eat, all carrying empty baskets. All of this was Yin's idea and she invited both her brothers and Maki to come along with her. They had bumped into Xianghua on the way out of the cave and she and Maxi were getting ready to head out for breakfast at the main palace. Yin was able to convince Xianghua to go with them and it took Xianghua some time to convince Maxi to go as well, though it took a bit longer with him.

"Are we looking for berries again?" asked Maxi, who wasn't very enthusiastic about the whole thing to begin with. "Because if I remember correctly, you girls pretty much picked every berry there was to find here."

"Perhaps," replied Yin. "But hey, you never know, we could've missed one somewhere."

"You better be right," said Yun. "Because I'm starving and we could've been at the main palace eating right about now."

"You know brother, you didn't have to come along."

"You're the one pulling on my ear and forcing me to go!"

"Now now children, let's not argue," said Maki.

"Hey, look at that!" called out Xianghua as she pointed slightly upward with her index finger.

Everyone looked at where she was pointing at and saw a tree filled with what looked like green apples, but larger.

"Those are huge!" cried out Maki. "I hope they're good."

"I'm sure they are," said Xianghua.

Yin sighed to herself as she looked up at them. "Too bad I'm too short to reach them…" she then looked all three boys. "Well you guys are taller… so do you mind getting them down for us?"

"No way I'm climbing that!" cried Yun. "Especially after we were told about those trees with faces that actually move!"

"…Yun you're such a baby."

"Well," Maxi began to say. "I have an idea. Eh, just give me ten minutes." Then he turned around and began heading in the direction they came from.

"You better not be leaving us behind or else I'll knock you one!" called out Xianghua.

"Like he said," suggested Yang. "Just give him ten minutes."

Yun nudged his brother with his elbow. "We better hope that no lions or tigers come out and eat us…or bears for that matter."

"Or Outworld warthogs and other unknown species," mentioned Yang.

"Oh my," said Yin sarcastically.

Silence fell between them group for a bit, unsure of how else to kill time. Eventually, the girls found themselves sitting on the ground as Yun and Yang began tossing sticks from the ground at random places out of sheer boredom.

After what seemed like forever, they finally heard footsteps coming towards them. They turned their heads to see Maxi arriving. In his hand was a long red and gold staff.

"I'm back," Maxi said. "And with a nice little tool too."

"Awesome," said Yang. "Now it'll be easier for us to get those down."

As the girls stood themselves up, Xianghua looked at the staff before narrowing her eyes at Maxi. "Hey, isn't that Kilik's staff?"

"I'm sure he can deal without it for just a half hour or less," said Maxi.

Using the staff, they were able to get the apples down much more easily, knocking them down and catching as many as they could in their baskets. This lasted for about a half hour before everyone felt that they got enough not just for themselves, but for a handful of other people back in the cave.

Soon enough, they all returned to the cave. Yin took a moment to collect all the baskets and counted how many apples they got.

"Wow, we got about a hundred and four here," she said. "Not everyone will get more than one, but it's good for now."

Yang quickly grabbed one apple in his hand, then took a bite out of it. He chewed the contents before swallowing. "Mm, sweeter than an apple back on Earth that's for sure."

"Hopefully they're not poisonous," said Yun as he took an apple in his hand.

"Let's go eat these in the back," Maki said. She and the girls picked up the basket and began heading to the back. Yang followed as well.

Yun only took a couple of feet when he saw Maxi and realized something…

"Didn't you bring Kilik's staff back?" he asked.

Maxi looked up for a moment as though he was trying to think. It didn't take more than a second for his eyes to widen in shock.

"Oh crap!" Maxi cried out a bit. "I must've left it back by that tree."

Yun patted him on the shoulder. "Not to worry. Let's go eat first before-"

"No, we have to look for it _now!_ "

"Why the rush?"

"…Kilik has a match at noon today."

Yun looked at him with the same wide eyes. "Oh boy…"

Immediately, the two of them sprinted quickly out of the cave and back in the forest.

~~~

**Outdoor Arena**

"Chun Li!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Once her name was called, Chun Li adjusted her sneakers a bit. "Well, I'm off to another match," she said.

Lei nodded to her. "Well, all I can say is… break a leg… well not literally."

"Ha ha," Chun Li said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Well good luck anyway," Lei said.

"Thank you."

Then Chun-Li walked over the ropes and into the ring. She soon reached the middle and patted the double buns that were in the hair, just to make sure that they were still in place.

 _Well, I'm ready,_ she thought.

Soon, her opponent was announced. "Ivy Valentine!"

Not even a second after the announcement, an older woman with platinum colored hair entered the ring. In her hand was a short sword. Upon seeing it, Chun Li knew, whether she herself had a weapon or not, that Ivy was going to use the sword during their match.

Soon, Ivy stood a few feet from her and looked at her. "Well, aren't we cheeky? This will be fun."

Chun Li raised an eyebrow as she looked at Ivy's own outfit. "Yes, we are very cheeky."

Ivy eyed her, knowing why she said that. "Hmph, just shut up and fight."

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Neither woman wasted any time as they ran right after each other and began their match. They mostly exchanged kicks and Chun Li also mainly dodging from Ivy's sword.

This lasted for some time before Ivy stepped back a bit. "Let's have some fun, shall we?" Then quickly, she whipped her sword in the air, causing it to uncoil. Upon seeing this, Chun Li's brown eyes widened a bit in surprise, obviously not expecting the sword to do that.

Ivy then lashed her sword out forward, the uncoiled blade now heading towards her opponent. Chun Li maneuvered herself enough so that she was able to avoid the attack. She then relaxed a bit once she saw that the weapon just barely missed her.

However, Ivy had other plans in her mind. She made the sword go past Chun Li and once that happened, she shifted her arm a bit, making the tip of her sword curl. The tip then managed to retract back and wrap itself once around Chun Li's left ankle.

Once Chun Li felt the weapon on her ankle it was too late. The Interpol detective suddenly found herself pulled forward a bit, flying a couple of feet in the air in the meantime before landing hard in the ground on her back. Ivy then released her hold on her and swung her sword back towards her, letting it wrap around her shoulders.

Then quickly, Chun Li sat up and shot both of her hands out. "Kikoken!" she cried out as a light blue projectile shot out of her hands. The projectile flew towards Ivy, but the older woman quickly ducked right under it and managed to avoid being hit. As she did, she once again lashed out a sword and it managed to wrap itself around Chun Li's wrist just as she got herself back on her feet.

 _Damn, not again!_ Chun Li growled in her mind.

Before Chun Li could move, Ivy quickly pulled her opponent forward. The move gave Chun Li a chance to quickly lift a leg up and when she was close enough, she rapidly kicked her, mainly in the face and below her neck. The speed of the kick was fast enough to cause a blur and it lasted for a few seconds before Chun Li made one final kick to the abdomen forcing Ivy to fly back a few feet, though she still kept her balance.

"You fool," Ivy said to her.

Chun Li ignored Ivy as she ran over to her and once again the two women exchanged kicks and a couple of punches from Chun Li, which was a much short time than previously. Ivy soon found an opening, she lifted up a leg and quickly did a forward split, bringing her sword down with her. Chun- Li backed away quickly just as the sword was filled with flames. Yet somehow, Chun Li felt an invisible force hit her, forcing her to rear back once again.

After the move, Ivy rolled forward before getting back on her feet. "Was that a little too hot for you?" she mocked.

Chun Li narrowed her eyes at Ivy. "No, but I'm sure this will be for you."

Quickly, Chun Li ran over to Ivy and when she was close enough, she jumped up and began performing a set of kicks. She kicked with one leg, then followed with her other leg repeatedly bring herself and Ivy in the air.

" _Kikoshou!_ " she cried out during the move. Soon Ivy began falling back to the ground and Chun Li let herself fall back as well and she landed safely on her feet as Ivy landed on her side.

"Ugh," Ivy mumbled as she began sitting herself back up. It took her a moment to get herself back on her feet while Chun Li waited for her. Because her short cropped hair covered most of her face while looking down, Chun Li didn't notice the small side smirk that appeared on Ivy's face.

"Now you asked for it," Ivy muttered under her breath.

Once again, she lashed out her sword. This time, however, all eight pieces of her sword disconnected from the string they were attached to. All glowed in a light blue aura before shooting quickly towards Chun Li.

Chun Li was taken by complete surprise. With very little time to move out of the way, she was forced to rear back a bit and shield her face with both of her arms. Though she slightly felt all eight pieces go pass her, they didn't leave a single scratch on her. Before any of the pieces went out of the ring, they turned themselves around and once again flew passed Chun Li and back to Ivy. Ivy lifted the hilt of her sword and all eight pieces came back together.

Once she heard the pieces come back together, Chun Li peaked over her arms and knew that all was clear. She slowly moved her arms, then looked down at herself. It appeared that the sword pieces did not leave any sort of damage on her.

 _Then what was the point of that?_ she thought.

Suddenly, she felt the yellow ribbons in her hair fall out and her long dark hair quickly fell passed her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. Chun Li felt her hair for a moment, a bit confused by what just happened. Then she began to feel the shoulder straps of her short tank top begin to slip off.

Now she understood what just happened.

"Oh no!" she cried out while trying to hold on to her top. She then began to feel her tight blue pants slipping off and with one hand tried to keep that up as well. At this point, she could hear some giggling from the viewers watching the match along with some whistling from the men.

Ivy let out a laugh as Chun Li struggled to keep her clothes on. "Who's the cheeky one now?" she asked.

Chun Li narrowed her eyes at her. She realized that if she was going to win this match, then she can't do it standing there trying to cover her modesty. She straightened herself and put her arms down letting her shirt and pants fall to the ground. She was at least grateful that her bra and underwear (along with her spiked bracelets and sneakers) were still intact so it wasn't completely humiliating.

Quickly, Chun Li ran back towards Ivy and for a minute, the two of them exchanged rapid punches and kicks. Some of the viewers were still whistling at Chun Li, but she managed to completely ignored them.

Then with a swift kick, Ivy was able to knock Chun Li down to the floor. She lashed out her sword and once again uncoiled them, spinning it in the air a few times. "Now let's have some more fun," Ivy said.

Chun Li clenched her teeth in frustration. Quickly she lifted her body with her hands and performed a double leg sweep kick in which Ivy jumped over. After doing a full circle, Chun Li did a backward roll and got herself back on her feet. Once she did, Ivy covered the distance between them and the two exchanged more kicks for a couple of seconds.

As they fought, Ivy once again snapped her sword forward and once again was able to get the tip wrapped around Chun Li's ankle… rather, she was able to get both ankles wrapped. With a smirk on her face, Ivy quickly lifted her sword up, then pushed forward, sending Chun Li in the air once again with a small yelp. After pushing forward, Ivy released Chun Li and the younger woman was sent right out of the ring as a result.

Almost immediately after, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Ivy Valentine."

Even before the announcement was made, Lei Wulong was already pushing people out of the way in order to get to the now defeated Chun Li. Thankfully for him, he wasn't too far from her and was able to get to her just as she began to sit up.

"Are you okay?" he asked her as she looked up at him.

Chun Li nodded to him as she slowly got herself up. "Yeah I'm fine," she said. "And that's besides losing one of my favorite outfits."

As she straightened herself out, Lei took off the brown jacket that he was wearing and placed it around Chun Li's shoulders. He got himself behind her and kept his hands on her shoulders.

"Let's out of here," Lei suggested. "This place is filled with one too many perverts."

"Tell me about it," Chun Li agreed as they began taking their leave. As they did, Chun Li looked back at the ring in hopes of giving Ivy one last pissed off glare, but the older woman was already long out of the ring.

~~~

**Cave**

While whistling an unknown tune, Raiden searched around the lounge area. He was in the mood for a soda and was having a bit of difficulty looking for a mug. The Thunder God ended up smirking a bit at the thought of exactly why he was having a bit of trouble.

 _With all those mugs Rose has been throwing at me with every argument,_ he thought. _I'm surprised we haven't completely ran out of them yet._

Of course, Rose wasn't the only one to blame. The chosen ones in the cave also had a habit, along with other dishes, of taking them and not returning them. Of course, most of the time, if they do return them they were dirty.

Soon, Raiden found two mugs sitting next to each other. He picked them both up and looked in them. To his luck, both of them were squeaky clean.

He then went in the cooler close by and took out the first soda there, a can of Dr. Pepper. Obviously, one of the mortals had brought it over here to Outworld. He then opened the can, but just before he opened it, he looked at the other empty mug nearby and a thought came to him.

 _I'll admit, I have been giving Rose a hard time since we arrived here,_ Raiden thought. _Perhaps this time I can at least be nice… it's the thought that counts, right?_

He reached for the other mug before pouring the drink in it, emptying it halfway before pouring the rest of the contents in the other mug. He then left the empty can on the table before leaving the lounge with the two mugs, one in each hand.

Rose's room was right next to the lounge, the velvet curtains completely closed. Of course, Raiden knew that she was in there, especially since he heard some rustling inside. Taking the back of his occupied hand, he pulled the curtain aside and stepped in.

"Good morning Rose," Raiden said.

However, the moment he looked up, he realized that just walking in was a big mistake. Rose had been in the middle of getting dressed and now there she was standing there completely topless!

Raiden tried to back away quickly, but it was too late as Rose quickly turned herself around and saw Raiden in the room.

"OH MY GOD!" they both screamed out at the same time. Rose quickly covered herself with her arms and Raiden turned his head away.

"You pervert!" Rose cried out. Quickly, she picked up a (dirty) mug and threw it at Raiden.

In reaction, Raiden dropped both the mugs he was holding and ran right out of the room. All three mugs crashed into the floor and broke into countless pieces.

"Damn it woman!" Raiden called out. "The one time I try to be nice!"

"Well you failed!" Rose screamed out.

"That's the last time I do something nice for you!"

Then, Raiden happened to turn his head and noticed his only eyewitness. Cody Travers stood there with a confused look on his face, obviously unsure of how to react to the situation.

"Eh, sorry," Cody said. "I was coming back here to get a drink and…"

Raiden sighed a bit in order to calm his nerves. "Just… never speak of this or else I'll zap you to ashes." With that, he teleported out of there.

Cody sighed to himself afterward. "I'll... just pretend it never happened then." Then he walked into the lounge.

~~~

**Meanwhile In Another Part of the Cave…**

Slowly moving the curtain aside, Maxi peeked into Kilik's room. As he did, he kept his grip on the bamboo stick that he found in the lounge not too long ago.

"Kilik?" he said out loud.

Indeed Kilik was in the room. However, he didn't hear his friend call out his name. Instead, he was frantically looking for his staff, throwing everything out of the way carelessly making the room look as though El Nino just passed through.

"Damn it, where is it?" he muttered as he pushed aside some clothing.

Maxi shifted his eyes from side to side a couple of times before pulling the curtain aside more and stepped into the room. "Um, Kilik-"

"What?!" Kilik called out in frustration, straightening himself up and looking behind him. Once he saw Maxi, he relaxed a bit and sighed. "Oh, hey Maxi." He began moving his head from side to side, his eyes on the floor. "You didn't happen to see my staff around here, have you?"

Again, Maxi shifted his eyes a few times. "Eh… no, unfortunately I haven't. Um, did you lose it?"

Kilik sighed. "Yes… and the worst part is that I have a match in a half an hour!"

Maxi looked at the bamboo stick he had in his hand. "Well, eh, I kind of have one little solution to your problem."

Kilik look at Maxi again, then saw what was in his hand. "A bamboo stick?" He walked over to him and took the stick in his hand, examining it afterward. "Eh, Maxi, could this hold out in a match?"

Maxi forced himself to let out a hearty laugh and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Relax buddy. As a matter of fact, I heard that Outworld bamboo is very, very strong. Should do just fine."

Kilik sighed again. "Well what other choice do I have? I have to get to my match. Who knows when they'll call me."

"That's true," Maxi said. "The Courtyard, right?"

"Right."

"All right, well I'm going to get a quick bite, then I'll meet you over there. See you." Then Maxi quickly left the room.

Once Maxi was out of the room, Kilik looked down at the bamboo stick. "He better be right about this… or else I'll knock his head with whatever is left of it."

~~~

**Main Palace Grounds**

After having lunch together, Maki, Asuka, and Sakura were walking through the palace grounds. Normally they would go with Mika and Cassandra as well, but the two had lunch earlier in the cave and were now out watching the tournament in the indoor arena.

"It's good for Mika to go out and watch the tournaments," said Maki. "Especially since she has her match tomorrow."

"Someone else should be doing the same," said Sakura as she looked at Asuka.

Asuka felt her friend's stare and sighed a bit. "Relax Sakura. Yes I have my match tomorrow, but I do plan on training tonight with Mika."

"Good girl," replied Maki as she patted Asuka's shoulder. "Which arena?"

"Outdoor arena, bright and early," Asuka replied. "And I believe Mika has her match in the Courtyard."

"Hooray," Sakura said sounding bummed out. "She'll be under the watchful eye of the tournament's host Mr. Shang Tsung."

"Heh, even I find him a little creepy," agreed Maki.

"I'm sure everyone does," said Asuka.

"Well," Sakura began, changing the subject. "I hope you and Mika make it to the next round."

"I hope so too," Asuka said nodding.

Then, Sakura found herself rubbing her chin with her hand and looking up towards the sky as a thought came to her. "Gee, I just thought of something."

"And what's that?" asked Maki.

"…What happened to Dan Hibiki? I mean, one minute he was hanging around us, the next minute-"

That's when they heard a male voice cry out from behind. "I've been practicing with my Saikyo style!"

All three girls sighed to themselves before turning around to see the man behind them. "Hi Dan," said Asuka.

"Hey girls," Dan said cheerfully. "Yes it has been a while since we hung out. Lately I've been training myself and I hope to be a better fighter once the tournament's over. Well, I got to go, I'm starving. Later!" Then he began making his way towards the palace.

All three girls stood there for a moment before Asuka spoke. "Is it me, or did he sound like he was replying to an email?"

Sakura shook her head a bit. "Well anyway… Dan's training himself again, huh?"

"I do give him credit for continuing to train himself even after his loss in the tournament," mentioned Maki.

Sakura and Asuka immediately glared at Maki in a bit of surprise. Maki felt their stares and sighed. "Come on, even guys like him deserve some praise."

"Yeah, you're right," Asuka said. "Well, let's head back."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "I bet Yang misses you."

Maki found herself smiling a bit as she heard her boyfriend's name. "Maybe."

Soon the three left the palace grounds and began heading back towards the cave.

~~~

**Courtyard**

While waiting for the next match to begin, Kilik looked down at the bamboo stick that he had in his hand. He only arrived at the Courtyard two hours ago and only now he was beginning to feel a bit less confident about having a bamboo stick in replacement of his more trusted Kali Yuga staff.

"Are you sure this is going to work Maxi?" he asked.

"Relax," Maxi assured him. "Like I said before, Outworld bamboo is supposed to be very strong."

Xianghua, who was with them as well, narrowed her eyes at Maxi. "Maxi… I can't believe you-"

Maxi quickly cut her off by covering her mouth with his hand. "Yes I know Xianghua," Maxi quickly said. "But you'll get over it."

"What's this all about?" Kilik asked them curiously.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Maxi assured him.

Kilik was about say something when Shang Tsung stood up from his throne and spoke out loud. "The next match shall begin!" He paused for a moment before announcing the first fighter. "Kilik!"

Maxi immediately patted him on the back. "Well, good luck buddy," he said.

Kilik sighed to himself before smirking a bit. "Thanks… but I think you'll need it if I lose this match." Then he stepped over the ropes and into the ring.

Maxi sighed to himself as well. He then felt a tap on his shoulder, making him turn his head and face Xianghua. Another sigh escaped his throat as he saw the not-so-happy look on Xianghua's face.

"Did you really have to lie to him?" Xianghua asked him. "Lying will only get you into more trouble. Trust me, I know from experience."

"Yes," Maxi replied. "But we're talking about a staff, not the fate of the world."

Xianghua huffed in replied before turning her head towards the ring and folding her arms. "Well, I learned my lesson and I'm sure when it bites back at you, you'll learn as well."

"Sure sure," Maxi muttered.

Then, the name of Kilik's opponent was announced. "Jade!" Shang Tsung called out.

Kilik looked around the edge of the ring in search of his opponent. He then noticed the young woman clad in green coming into the ring. The beauty that Jade possessed was rare, at least to Kilik, her green eyes seem to match perfectly with her jet black hair and light brown skin.

It wasn't until Jade spoke that Kilik snapped out of his daze. "So, you'll be using that bamboo stick?" she asked him curiously.

Kilik shook his head a bit before looking down at the stick, then back up at Jade. "Um, yeah… uh, unfortunately I lost my real staff and couldn't find it in time for the tournament."

Jade took out her own staff and got herself in a fighting stance. "That's too bad. Well, good luck."

Kilik nodded as he raised the bamboo and got in his own fighting stance. "Same to you," he said.

Shang Tsung saw that both combatants were ready and called the match to begin. Immediately, Jade jumped after him and Kilik waited from where he stood and let her make the first move. Jade quickly brought down her staff and Kilik immediately blocked the attack with the bamboo stick.

Then, Jade quickly pulled her staff back and attempted another strike in which Kilik blocked once again. However, upon impact, a loud snap! was heard and Kilik suddenly found himself holding the bamboo stick as two pieces, one in each hand. Kilik's eyes immediately widened in surprise, not expecting that to happen at all.

"…Yeah, that's strong all right," Kilik said to himself sarcastically. Not knowing what else to do with the two sticks, he quickly threw them at Jade. Spinning her staff, Jade managed to knock the two sticks out of her path. Then she quickly set her own staff down on the ground before charging after Kilik. Once she reached him, two began fighting hand to hand.

The hand to hand fight lasted for a couple of minutes with neither one of them stopping. That was until Jade pulled herself back a bit to give herself a bit of room to breathe, at least Kilik thought. Then, Jade pulled out a razor rang that was connected to her belt before quickly throwing it at Kilik. Kilik saw the move coming and swiftly ducked under it. A smirk appeared on Jade's face afterward and Kilik knew that the razor rang was going to come back. He waited until the whistle from the weapon was closer and he ducked again just as it approached him. Then Jade caught it in her hand and placed it back in her belt.

Once she did, Kilik ran over to her and performed a double roundhouse kick in which Jade blocked. When she put her guard down to attempt to make her own move, Kilik performed a more powerful kick. The kick connected sending Jade flying back and into the ground.

Ignoring the pain in her stomach, Jade quickly rolled back and got herself back on her feet. Kilik began running towards her again, but long before he could reach her, Jade quickly spun herself, surrounding herself with a green mist. When the mist disappeared, she did as well, causing Kilik to stop running and suddenly left confused.

"What the-" he began to say, but then he suddenly felt a hard kick from behind and stumbled forward. He regained his balance before quickly turning around to face Jade. Quickly, Jade threw a punch in which Kilik blocked.

A few more punches were exchanged between them before Kilik saw an opening. He took the opportunity to perform two kicks, both which were blocked by Jade. Then, he quickly crouched down and attempted a sweep kick. However, Jade managed to jump over the sweep kick in time.

Once Kilik straightened himself up, Jade lifted a leg and slid forward as a green mist was left in her path. She successfully connected the move, causing Kilik to fly back. Because they were close to the edge, Kilik found himself flying passed the ropes and on to the ground outside the ring.

Shang Tsung stood up after he landed. "Winner: Jade!"

The audience clapped as Kilik sat himself up, sighing to himself. _If only I had my staff,_ he thought.

Maxi and Xianghua managed to reach Kilik. When they did, Xianghua bent towards him. "Are you okay?" she asked him with concern.

Kilik looked at her and nodded. "I'm fine… besides being defeated of course, but I'll get over it." He then slowly got himself on his feet with Xianghua's help.

Once he was back up, Kilik saw Jade approach him, her staff in her hand again. She stood next to the rope that separated them. "You did very well," Jade said. "Perhaps when you find your staff, we can have our own rematch." With that, Jade walked over the ropes and took her leave out of the courtyard.

 _She was so trying to flirt with Kilik!_ Xianghua thought as she felt her nose suddenly twitching.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Kilik who looked at Maxi. "You said Outworld bamboo was supposed to be very strong!"

Maxi raised both hands in a bit of surprise. "It's not my fault! One of the guys back at the cave said that to me when I found it."

Kilik eyed him. "When I find my staff, I'm going to knock your head off with it!"

Then he began to take his leave, leaving Maxi to sigh once again. Xianghua placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be a quick death," she said jokingly.

"Ha ha," Maxi answered sarcastically.

Unknown to the three friends, Vega Fabio De Cerna happened to be watching the match from the other side of the ring. One of his assignments for the day was to find strong, able fighters who could have the potential to be part of Shao Kahn's (still) developing army, a job Vega didn't like very much but was willing to do it anyway in hopes of getting closer to the medallion.

 _This really better be worth it,_ he had thought to himself.

After the match between Kilik and Jade, Vega noticed Kilik's friends who helped him up after being knocked out of the ring. Immediately, he recognized Maxi, the man who defeated him during the second round of the tournament. A bit of rage began to fill within the former Shadaloo soldier. Under his closed lips, he clenched his teeth with only slight pressure.

 _How could an ugly moron like him win that match against me?_ he thought.

When Kilik left, Vega was able to get a better look at the petite woman who was with him. Upon seeing her face, Vega felt himself relax a bit and a small hint of a smirk appeared on his face. The young woman indeed had a lovely face, perfectly flawless. He even found himself adoring her dark eyes, which seemed wide and filled with innocence.

Obviously, Maxi was friends with this woman… or maybe she was a girlfriend? He wasn't sure, but it really didn't matter. To Vega, getting close to the young woman was the key to a perfect revenge for his loss in the tournament, his one chance of getting close to the medallion without allying himself with anyone.

 _Soon young lady,_ Vega thought to himself. _I'll have my fun with you._

~~~

**Cave**

Cleaning the dirty dishes that was lying around the lounge room, Rose was still huffing over this morning's incident. Even when she tried to keep herself busy, she couldn't stop thinking about it. The more she saw the image of Raiden walking in on her while dressing in her mind, the angrier she became.

"That jerk," she mumbled under her breath. "Having nothing better to do than to peek into a lady's room while dressing. Nothing but a pervert that's for sure. How did he earn the status of God anyway? And couldn't I have been partnered up with some else? Like a monk? Monks are always nice people. They're very respectful and-"

"Rose?" a male voice suddenly said from behind.

"WHAT?!" Rose screamed out in anger as she quickly whirled around to look behind her. She had expected to see Raiden there. Instead, she saw Guile and Sonya standing by the curtain, both looking a bit startled by Rose's sudden outcry.

Rose sighed and managed to calm her nerves, feeling bad about what she just did. "I'm sorry dear, I thought you were-"

"Raiden?" Guile said laughing a bit. "Don't worry, I don't think he's here at the moment."

"Well good," Rose said. "So how have you two been?"

Sonya took a deep breath before replying. "Not so good. As a matter of fact, we both came here to give you an urgent report."

"Go on," Rose said as she nodded once.

All three sat down in chairs that surrounded a small table. Once they were settled, Sonya proceeded. "Alex hasn't been seen since yesterday afternoon, at least a little over twenty-four hours after she was defeated in the tournament by Kenshi. And speaking of Kenshi, no one has seen him since last night. Last night, I had believed that Alex was with Cammy and Lita patrolling the palace grounds during the evening. However, when I spoke to them this morning, they reported that she hadn't shown up and assumed we gave her the night off."

Guile continued for her. "Since Kenshi was looking for Alex yesterday evening as well, we assume that he went out to look for her. Why he didn't inform us, we're not sure. As for Alex, she had said, according to Kenshi, that she was going to go out for a walk. Obviously, she never returned."

A frown appeared on Rose's face. "This is indeed worrisome. I will inform Raiden about this the next time I see him. In the meantime, since it's still daylight, we're going to have to stay within the tournament grounds until nightfall. As much as I hate doing that, we cannot afford to be discovered by anyone associated with Shang Tsung or Shao Kahn for that matter. In the meantime, we'll keep our eye out for them. If neither show by the first hour of sunset, we'll make our move."

"Hopefully they're still alive…" Sonya sighed.

Then they heard the curtain being pulled aside. The three of them turned their heads and saw the entire Delta Red team; Cammy, Lita, Ginzu, McCoy, and Wolfman, walk in the room.

"You guys have a report, do you?" Guile asked.

Wolfman nodded to him and briefly looked at the notepad he held in his head. "Yes we do. Why we didn't get this report earlier is beyond me. Just in one day, today of course, there has been reports of fighters in the tournament, at least a hundred or more, going missing."

A shiver went up Sonya's spine upon hearing this. "How long have they been missing?" she asked.

"Some just yesterday," replied McCoy. "Some since the tournament began."

"And the worst part is," said Lita. "None of them have yet to return."

Rose shook her head with a bit of sadness. "Something is going on if that many fighters are missing and none of them have returned." She then looked up at the Delta Red team, Sonya, and Guile. "I want you guys to tell Raiden about all you've reported here this afternoon. I'll be needing some privacy if I am to try to discover what's going on."

"We understand," said Sonya. A thought came to her then. _Whatever's going on, I hope Kenshi and Alex aren't involved in it…_

~~~

**Forest Area, Far From the Tournament Grounds**

For hours since his departure early this morning, Kenshi continued to search for Alex's whereabouts. He wasn't sure exactly where to start at first, especially considering that he had left the cave without any sort of clue. He admitted to feeling a bit foolish for his decision, but he hoped that he didn't regret it later.

However, he did find his possible only clue a few hours ago. He had found a gun on the ground that felt similar to the one Alex used. From the faint smell of smoke and metal, he figured that the gun was definitely used not too long ago. He placed the gun under a ground of bushes just in case it was Alex's gun and continued with his search.

After what seemed like forever, Kenshi was able to feeling more of a breeze around him and guessed that he had stepped into a clearing. He stood where he was for a moment to get a good feeling of his surroundings. He didn't sense anyone around, but did sense a hint of an overwhelming dark feeling not too far from him. He also guessed that, by the feel of the sun, that the afternoon was very close to turning into evening.

Just before he took a step forward, the swordsman sensed something coming towards him from behind. After a split second, he realized that it was a weapon that was aiming right at him. Quickly, he turned around, lashing out his katana from behind him and placed it in front of him. Right in the neck of time, the weapon, one that seemed to be connected to a string, ended up wrapping itself twice around his sword.

Standing at the other end of the weapon, Ivy Valentine looked at Kenshi with a bit of surprise. She was returning to Shao Kahn's fortress after a long day on the tournament grounds when she noticed this stranger lurking around close to the fortress. She had lashed out her now-uncoiled sword in order to distract him. However, he had managed to block the attack with his own sword.

A smirk came over the woman's face. "Hmph, that's the first time someone caught my sword in a surprise attack."

Ignoring her, Kenshi pulled back his sword in order to pull Ivy towards him. However, Ivy saw the move in time and pulled her sword away, forcing it to coil back together into one piece. From there, the two engaged in a weapon fight. Their weapons clashed with one another, the sound of steel hitting steel being heard all around the area.

Both fighters noted how fast the other was and attempted to outsmart the other. However, even that didn't work as their opponent noted the maneuver and quickly went in for the block.

Neither one of them was sure how long the sword fight lasted for. It was until they were leaning their swords against each other that Ivy spoke. "What's your business?" she asked him.

"That's none of your concern," Kenshi replied bitterly through clenched teeth.

Ivy narrowed her eyes at the swordsman. "You're attitude won't get you anywhere, you know," she said.

Quickly, the two pulled back and for a moment, they exchanged more attacks from their swords. This time, it lasted for a shorter time before they leaned their swords against each other again.

"You really should state your business," Ivy suggested. "Because if you don't, I won't hesitate to kill you. Are you a spy?"

"Not even close," Kenshi replied, but only to get the woman off his back. "Whatever bid you are doing is something I'm not interested in. I'm only here because I'm looking for someone. She's... a friend of mine."

Ivy's eyes widened a bit and she quickly pulled back. For a moment, she kept her sword in front of her and Kenshi was in his own fighting stance, prepared for her attacks. Of all the words he said, it was the word 'she' that caught her attention.

 _Is he looking for that girl in the dungeons?_ she thought to herself. As she thought about this, she felt a bit of relief coming over her. _Well… whether it's her he's looking for or not, this may be her only chance to get out of there alive…_

Even though she was very loyal to Shao Kahn, Ivy was about to risk everything, including her own mission. She told herself before speaking that this was the only time she would ever make such a decision.

"Keep following this trail north. You'll end up at a fortress which isn't too far from here. This trail will lead to the back of the fortress. As of this time of day, there are no guards there. There's a hidden plank that's not guarded from the inside around this time as well. Lift the plank up and the stars there will bring go down to an underground lair. It'll lead you to the dungeons. You may find her there."

Silently, Kenshi let his guard down, but still kept his sword in his right hand. He was just beginning to turn around when Ivy realized something.

"Wait!" she called out. Kenshi stopped moving, his head turned away from her. "Be warned… her soul may never be the same after tonight."

Kenshi slightly nodded. "Thank you," he replied. He then began running in the direction in which Ivy told him to go. It was when he was running away that Ivy realized another thing.

"Hmph, he fought me with that blindfold over his eyes that entire time," she said aloud. A small smirk came over her face. "An impressive warrior indeed." Then Ivy disappeared amongst the trees.


	42. Chapter Forty-One

**Cave Grounds**

After taking a moment to set up the campfire, Sonya Blade sat done just two feet away from the rocks that surrounded the newly lit blaze. She sighed deeply as she took a cup of tea in her hand and took a small sip. A part of her wished that she was drinking coffee at this very moment, but to her dismay, the cave didn't have any and she didn't feel like walking over to the main palace just to get some.

Sonya looked up briefly at the sky. It was still light out, but she guessed that it was going to be another two to three hours before the sun completely set for the night. To her, those few hours were going to feel much longer than that.

"Is everything all right?" a voice suddenly asked. Sonya shook her head as though she was just dazing out. She then turned her head and noticed Cammy just sitting next to her.

"I'm not sure," Sonya replied looking down at the cup of tea in her hands. "When you and Delta Red gave that report to Rose this afternoon, I feel like… well… I'm not even sure how I really feel…"

"Is this about Kenshi and Alex?" Cammy asked with curiosity.

Once again, Sonya sighed. "I just don't understand it. Alex is not the type to just run off for a long period of time without telling anyone. Something obviously happened and I hope that nothing horrible has happened to her. As for Kenshi, I'm not too surprised that he ran off without telling anyone, but he's been gone for a long period of time as well."

"Like Guile said," Cammy said. "He's most likely out looking for her."

"But why didn't he tell us? I mean I know he doesn't like to talk a lot, but this is urgent-"

"I know," Cammy cut in. "But he most likely wanted to take care of this by himself and if he had told us he was going and didn't want us to, we definitely would've gone with him no matter what."

Sonya nodded. "Yeah… but still, I wish he had told us. I just hope that, somehow, they both come back here alive."

"I'm sure they will," Cammy replied. "Just have faith. Just wait until an hour after sunset as Rose said, then we'll head out to look for them."

"I just want to look for them now," Sonya said. "I really don't want to wait around and let every minute tick by. But Rose is right… with our main mission, it's too risky."

Cammy placed a hand on Sonya's shoulder, a way to assure her that everything was going to be fine. "Let's just hope that, no matter what happens, that they'll be well and alive."

"I hope so," Sonya sighed. "I'm still worried, but I do hope that they're okay."

Then, silence fell between the two and they ended up staring at the fire in front of them.

~~~

**Near the Cave**

Returning from dinner, Julia Chang was just beginning to reach the cave grounds. Since she had been by herself between the time she left and her recent return, she felt relaxed. It's been a while since she has been completely by herself for more than fifteen minutes (besides from bedtime) since coming to Outworld, so it was definitely nice.

As she continued walking, she noticed Ryu about twenty feet from her. Since he was kicking and punching at the air, Julia immediately knew that he was training intensively and she stopped in her tracks for a moment to watch him. She knew that he had already made it to the fifth round and wanted to train for it, considering that the tournament was getting more competitive with each passing time.

As a matter of fact, tomorrow was the last day of round four. At that thought alone, Julia was nearly baffled by how quickly time went during this particular round.

 _Soon enough, we'll be reaching round eight, the final round,_ the young woman thought.

Julia continued to watch Ryu train for a couple of more minutes. Just before she was about to leave, she heard some footsteps coming near her. She turned her head and noticed Mika just beginning to stop in her tracks. She looked over at the same direction Julia was looking, now finding herself watching Ryu train as well.

It took Mika another few seconds to realize that someone was right next to her. She turned her head and finally noticed Julia, who was once again watching Ryu.

"Enjoying yourself?" Mika asked.

Julia turned her head to Mika, looking a bit shocked by what Mika had just said. To Julia, she felt a bit of a harsh tone coming from her. Obviously, from their previous encounter, this wasn't the first time she had done something like this.

"Why are you being rude to me?" she asked. "I never did anything to you!"

Mika seemed to give Julia the same shocked look as she did just now. "What are you talking about? I wasn't being rude at all!"

"Well you gave me that harsh tone!"

"I didn't mean to! Though now that I think about it, you did deserve it after all since you overreacted."

"Overreacted? I didn't overreact at all!"

Unknown to the two, Ryu had notice them arguing. He stopped what he was doing and immediately walked over to them. "What's going on?" he asked the moment he reached them.

Both girls looked over at Ryu, then immediately pointed at each other. "She started it!" they both said in unison.

Immediately, Ryu sighed to himself, suddenly unsure of how to handle the situation. However, from what had been said, he began to have the feeling that their rivalry was over him. Besides, why else would the both of them stop and watch him train?

"Listen," Ryu said. "If this is about me, please don't argue with each other anymore. I want to be friends with both of you and I don't want to see any more conflict between you two."

Even after his explanation, both Julia and Mika were silent as they continued to look at him. Just as Ryu was beginning to feel uncomfortable, both of them turned and were beginning to walk away. However, the second they did, they ended up walking towards each other and nearly bumped into each other. Both girls growled at each other, but it was Julia who stepped aside. Once she made room, they both walked passed each other and away from the area.

Ryu sighed to himself afterwards. _This is worse than I realized,_ he thought. _Why can't I just have normal friends?_ He then decided to go to bed for the night and began heading back towards the cave.

~~~

**Unknown Area, Far From The Tournament Grounds**

It had been fifteen minutes since Kenshi's encounter with the mysterious woman a little over a mile away. Since then, he hadn't run into anyone else. However, he noted that the closer he got to the fortress, the stronger the dark energy was and he was getting the feeling that Alex may indeed be held prisoner there.

As he got closer, a small part of him wondered how the woman knew that he was looking for Alex. Was it all a trick into luring him here and end up being captured himself? To him, it didn't matter. If this was the only way to know if Alex really was here, then so be it.

Soon enough, he reached the fortress. He had ended up approaching from the back so no one had noticed him. However, the swordsman knew that he would eventually be caught.

Kenshi placed a hand up and walked forward until he felt the stoned exterior of the fortress. Using his sword, he ran it over the ground as he walked forward, feeling for any wooden objects. It took him about two minutes before the tip of the sword hit something. He bent down and got a feel for it. It was definitely the plank that the woman mentioned to him. Using his telekinesis, he lifted the plank up and threw it aside before ascending down the stairs.

Upon reaching the bottom, Kenshi stood still for a moment to get a feel of his surroundings. He figured that it was mostly dark, but that obviously wasn't a problem for him. The floor was sticky enough to cling on to the bottom of his black boots and the sound of dripping water was heard in the distance. What was more disturbing for the swordsman was the fact that the area had a stench of both blood and death… lots of it. For the first time in a long while, he felt slightly uneasy, but he ignored it as he took a step forward, his footsteps echoing around the area he was in.

It was another three minutes before Kenshi was able to sense another presence, one that was unfamiliar. Before he could continue to analyze, the presence spoke.

"Who's down there?" a male voice called out, his own footsteps now being heard.

Immediately, Kenshi jumped into one of the cells closest to him and got himself in the only shadow there. Upon that, he ended up stepping on something, a loud crunch following. Kenshi quickly moved and pointed his sword at the object. It was then that a horrible stench hit his nose and he suddenly realized that he was standing very close to a decaying corpse. He was also able to hear the buzzing flies around it, eating away at whatever was left of the rotting flesh. Kenshi held his breath in order to block his senses from the stench. Because it was strong, he figured that the corpse had been here for quite a while.

Kenshi listened for the footsteps and realized that they were very close. He waited with his sword in both hands until the figure was beginning to come by the cell he was hiding in.

"You better come out!" the figured called out. "Unless you work for Shao Kahn, you'll be Berserk's next meal! That is after he finishes with the girl of course."

Upon hearing 'girl' Kenshi clenched both hands tightly on the hilt of his sword. He was starting to be convinced that Alex was down here after all and the woman who sent him here wasn't bluffing. If she did work for Shao Kahn, then why did want him to rescue Alex? Right now though, it didn't matter.

The swordsman heard the footsteps and he realized that the figure was walking into the cell he was hiding in. Knowing that he was going to be discovered anyway, Kenshi ran forward with a grunt, his sword out and ready. The figure heard the grunt and was just turning to face him, but by then he felt the sword making it's way through his stomach and out his back.

Kenshi heard the figure cry out in pain. He waited until he was quiet before he spoke. "Where's the girl?" he demanded.

The figure only grinned and he lifted up the ax that he held in his hand. "Long live Shao Kahn!"

Kenshi sensed the weapon coming towards him and he immediately ducked and got himself behind the stranger. With a quick swift of his sword, he cut the figure right through the torso. The stranger stood there in shocked for a moment before falling to the ground with a thud in two pieces.

Not wasting any more time, Kenshi quickly left the cell and began walking through the dungeon in hopes of finding, well, anything at this point.

Five minutes passed before he sensed another presence again. He walked himself closer to the presence, whether it was another guard or another prisoner. It was then that a soft moan coming from a female was heard. Kenshi stopped for just a second, letting himself feel the presence.

Now it was familiar.

Quickly, he ran to where the presence was and soon reached a cell locked by two very large doors. He touched the door to feel for the lock. Soon he found it and he used his sword to break it off. The lock hit the ground with a heavy thud right after that. Then Kenshi used his foot to kick the door back. It only went a couple of feet, but it was enough for him to fit through.

He was able to sense Alex clearly now. She was in the middle of the room, hanging from a thick rope by her wrists. Kenshi frowned a bit once he realized this. Even if he hadn't smelled the blood, he knew that she had gone through some torture by her captors.

Kenshi's head was aligned with her stomach, so he was able to easily reach up to the ropes with his sword and cut them just above her hands. Once the rope was severed, she began fall to the ground, but Kenshi was able to catch her around her waist with one free arm before that could happen.

Upon being released, soft moans of what sounded like fear escaped her throat and her whole body began to shake. Kenshi got down on his knees, gently placing his sword down next to him. He then shifted her so that her head was resting on his arm and she was facing him.

"Alex, it's me Kenshi," the swordsman assured her. "I don't know what they did to you, but I'm going to get you out of here. It's going to be all right now."

The moans immediately stopped and she seemed to calm down a bit. Unknown to Kenshi, Alex managed to open her eyes a bit and tried to look up at him, but she saw nothing but blur. She was only able to take a breath of air before losing consciousness.

Kenshi sighed a bit once he realized this. Both of his hands were on her back and he could feel that her clothes were in shreds and were barely hanging on to her. He also felt the countless whipping wounds on her back, which were obviously going to leave life-long scars.

 _Let's get you out of here,_ he thought.

Just before he could stand up, however, he suddenly heard a low growl coming from the back of the cell. He then remembered what the guard he killed had said; _You'll be Berserk's next meal._

Whoever Berserk was, he was right here in the cell!

Kenshi gently placed Alex down on the ground before picking up his sword and stood up on his feet. He then heard heavy footsteps coming towards him and Kenshi immediately got himself in a fighting stance. Soon, the monster Berserk was a few feet away from him and he let out another small growl.

"So," Kenshi said to him. "You're the one who hurt her. Allow me to return the favor."

Before anything could happen, however, Berserk was suddenly surrounded by a glowing green aura. His pale eyes widened and he let out a loud roar as though he was struggling. Kenshi stood there confused for a moment, but then realized why all this was happening.

"Ermac!" he called out.

Indeed, the enigma Ermac was there, standing behind Berserk with his hands out and his entire body glowing in the same green aura. Ermac had heard a commotion while passing the doors to the dungeon and went down to check it out. Because it's been a while since he visited this place, he never knew that Alex was the new victim down here being tortured by Berserk. However, now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He had managed to quietly float himself into the dungeon while both Kenshi and Berserk were distracted by one another's presence.

After another moment, Ermac looked over at Kenshi. "Get her out of here!" he ordered. "The guards most likely heard him and they'll be down here any second! Go now! We'll take care of the rest!"

As much as Kenshi wanted to stay behind and help Ermac, he knew that it was more important to be concerned for Alex's safety. She was already in enough danger as it was. Almost immediately, the swordsman scooped Alex into his arms before he quickly made his way out of the dungeons and began heading back towards the cave grounds.

~~~

**Cave**

In her room, Julia was lying down on her bed and was looking over at the index card she was given a few days ago. On the card, it indicated her match notice, which was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the Courtyard.

 _Something tells me that tomorrow is going to be a long day,_ she thought with a sigh.

Julia was still feeling a bit huffy about her encounter with Mika just an hour ago. They had only met up twice, but already they were 'enemies.' She couldn't understand exactly what it was that made Mika not like her.

 _Is she jealous of me for something?_ Julia thought. _I mean, what could she be jealous of? I'm not exactly the most perfect person myself. And for Heaven's sake, she has a bigger bust size than me! If anything,_ I _should be the one who's jealous!_

After venting in her mind, Julia decided to go outside again before it got completely dark. Besides, being outside relaxed her. Taking a book filled with poetry with her, she began to step out of her room when she suddenly bumped into someone. She backed up a bit as did the person she bumped into. When Julia saw the person she bumped into, her eyes widened a bit as she recognized Mika.

Almost immediately, however, they both narrowed their eyes at each other as they thought about what happened during their last encounter.

Unknown to them, Rose was walking by the area and she noticed the two girls. The purple-haired psychic was able to sense a lot of tension between them and she waited a moment to see if anything would happen. During that, she was able to figure out why there was a conflict between them. When nothing did, she approached them.

"What is going on with you two?" Rose asked them.

Though Julia and Mika still eyed each other, Julia managed to say, "It's nothing."

Rose shook her head. "I know that this is about a man."

Mika's eyes seemed to open up more and she turned her head to Rose. "How do you know?" she asked.

The moment she asked that, it came to Julia… now she understood why Mika seemed jealous of her. Mika was crushing on Ryu and she believed that Julia also had a crush on him as well and felt that she was competing with her.

Rose ended up smirking in amusement. "Don't forget dear… I'm psychic. Now please, I don't care how much you hate each other, but please put your problems aside. There are important matters to worry about and I want you to keep your focus on that."

"Yes Rose," both girls said.

With that, Rose took her leave. Once she was far enough, Julia turned to Mika. "This is about Ryu, isn't it?" Mika said nothing afterward and only looked at her, but she seemed to look a bit more disappointed. Julia continued. "I can assure you that nothing is going on between us. We're just friends."

Immediately, Mika left without saying another word. Obviously, she wasn't sure of what to say about what Julia had just figured out. A bit of anger filled up within Julia, wishing that their rivalry wasn't just simply over a guy.

~~~

**Unknown Area, Shao Kahn's Fortress**

A meeting was taking place in Shao Kahn's throne room. All of his generals were present, standing before the Emperor as he sat on his throne, his war hammer in hand.

"Everything is going according to plan," Shao Kahn called out loud enough so that the whole room could hear. "Nothing has gone wrong as of yet. With new recruits for our army coming in everyday, we are growing stronger as each day passes. Soon, we will have the power to rule all the realms in the universe when the right time comes.

"However, there are a few people who I still want recruited in my army, those who I believe are most worthy. First and foremost, there's the one called Heihachi Mishima. As Baraka has reported, he possesses great strength and an unrecognizable power I wish to… get to know more."

"What about those servants you've sent to seek him out?" asked Vega.

Shao Kahn nearly laughed. "Seems as though they have never returned, which is just enough to know that he truly is indeed worthy." The Emperor then looked at Reptile. "Reptile… you are assigned to retrieve Heihachi. He is staying at the main palace. Begin to seek him out tomorrow evening. Do not fail me."

Reptile bowed his head to the Emperor. "Yessss massster. It shall be done."

Shao Kahn proceeded. "There is also the mysterious one named Sodom. I am curious to know what he has to offer. Quan Chi, that will be your assignment."

Quan Chi only nodded.

It was then that Tanya spoke up. "My lord, what of the two demons you spoke of previously?"

"Ah yes," Shao Kahn replied with a nod. "You mean Scorpion and Akuma. Those two have such strength… if anyone has the most chance of making it to the final round, it's those two. We cannot allow that to happen. I'll be proceeding with plans for those two. In the meantime, leave them be."

Then, the Emperor seemed to look around a bit, his head slightly moving. When he head stopped, a dark energy seemed to suddenly take over the room. "Where is Ermac?" he asked.

It was then that a handful of guards quickly ran into the room. This made Shao Kahn a bit more irritated than the fact that one of his best generals was now missing.

"This better be important!" the Emperor yelled out, his voice booming.

The leading guard seemed to shake a bit before answering. "My lord, there is a situation in the dungeons! We've sent our other guards down there, but they are being killed left and right! We don't know who is responsible for this!"

Shao Kahn growled angrily before turning his head back towards his generals. "Reptile, Mileena… go to the dungeons!"

"Yes, Father," Mileena said as she and Reptile quickly left the room with the remaining guards following them.

Shao Kahn leaned back in his throne frustrated. Only a moment ago, he had mentioned that everything was going according to plan and nothing had gone wrong.

 _This better be nothing more than a minor situation,_ he thought.

~~~

**Unknown Area, Dungeons**

A moment ago, Ermac was able to get the new lock, taken from another cell, and locked Berserk back in. Just as he did, Shao Kahn's guards began to ambush him, having heard Berserk's roar from their assigned posts.

The guards were indeed foolish. Ermac may be one man physically, but being an entity containing thousands of souls, he was able fight off the guards with ease. Each guard who approached him attempted to fight him, but the enigma easily fought them off either rendering them unconscious or killing them in every way he could with his own bare hands.

Within five minutes, Ermac completely cleared the room. From that moment on, he knew that he couldn't go back on what he just did. He had betrayed his master… no… _former_ master by not only freeing Alex and helping Kenshi to get her out, but he also fought the loyal guards, half of them he killed. He was now officially considered a traitor and would surely be tortured and put to death for treason.

However, to him, it seemed worth it as of now. Though he was still bound to the Emperor, he was still able to roam Outworld on his own. It wouldn't be until Shang Tsung's demise that he would be completely free and officially choose his own destiny, whether it was here or in other realms. At this moment, his journey to freedom was beginning and the first thing he was going to do was leave this dreadful hellhole.

Before he left, however, he had one other small task to make.

Quickly he ran through the dungeons until he reached a certain cell. Using his powers, he broke off the lock and ripped the single door off his hinges. He walked into the room and, on the floor, saw the only remaining prisoner of the dungeons; Paul Phoenix.

When he heard the door rip off, Paul looked up, looking dazed and confused, weakened from his ordeal. His blonde hair was greasy, his face was dirty and contained an ingrown beard.

"What the-" Paul barely began to say as Ermac picked him up.

"You're free now," was all Ermac said as he threw Paul over his shoulder. He then left the cell and made his way to the back where a set of stairs took him up to the outside world. At that point, Paul lost consciousness.

 _Freedom at last,_ Ermac thought. While carrying Paul, he disappeared within the darkness of the forest.

A while later, Mileena and Reptile reached the dungeon. The guards that were with them were a bit baffled by the litter of bodies that were surrounding them.

As they searched around, a guard moaned and Reptile walked over to him with Mileena just behind him.

The guard looked up at him. "It… it was Ermac. He was the cause of this…"

"I ssssee," Reptile said. "But it sssseemssss… you have failed to capture him."

With that, Reptile opened his mouth and a glob of acid came out of his mouth, landing on the guard's face. The guard screamed in terror as the skin on his face burned off. When Reptile was satisfied with the sight, his long tongue shot out, wrapped itself around the skull, ripped it off it's neck, and brought it in his wide mouth. After chomping the skull down to pieces, Reptile quickly swallowed the contents down his throat, making a refreshed sigh afterwards.

"Fatality," Mileena said delighted. She then looked up. "So, Ermac's a traitor now, is he?" Even with the veil over her face, she seemed to smile mischievously. "I can hardly wait to tell our Emperor!"

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

The sun had finally set, but Sonya still had another half hour before she was able to do anything about finding Kenshi and Alex. At this point, she was starting to feel more frustrated.

Throughout her wait, Cammy stayed with Sonya. The two talked in order to kill time, but even that didn't help, especially since Sonya was constantly looking at her watch. The fire in the campfire burnt out a while ago, but neither women seemed to really notice.

"You girls want tea?" a male voice said to them suddenly. Sonya and Cammy looked up and noticed Wagner holding two cups filled with hot tea.

"No thanks," Cammy replied. "I had enough tea for one day."

However with Sonya, she immediately reached up and grabbed a cup. "I really want coffee," she said. "But I guess this will do."

Wagner sat down and sipped the tea that was originally meant for Cammy. "Coffee at this time is not good for you."

Sonya sighed. "I know, but I could really use it now. However, like I said before, this is good enough."

With that, the Special Forces Captain gulped down her tea quite quickly. Cammy and Wagner looked at her oddly, wondering if the hot temperature of her drink was even bothering her one little bit. When she was done, Sonya placed the cup on the ground, then wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Cammy and Wagner turned her heads away from her, ignoring the un-lady-like habit she just did.

Sonya then looked at her watch again and she seemed to stare at it longer than she did previously. After some time, she flung her hand in frustration. "That's it!" she cried out.

When Sonya flung her hand, she ended up knocking Wagner's hand, making him lose his grip on the cup. The cup fell forward and all the tea that was left spilled on the ground. "My tea!" he cried out.

Cammy looked at her surrogate brother. "Scott, that was my tea to begin with so don't complain!" She then looked at Sonya. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Sonya stood up. "I can't wait anymore. I'm marching in the cave and telling Rose that it's time to go!"

Cammy and Wagner quickly stood up. "Come on Sonya," Cammy tried to assure her. "We've waited this long. I'm sure a half hour won't be so bad."

"I know," Sonya replied. "But I just can't-"

"Oh my God!" Wagner called out suddenly.

Both Sonya and Cammy immediately felt annoyed by what Wagner had just said, thinking that he was being a smart-ass during a serious situation. However, upon seeing the horrified look on his face, they knew that he was being serious. Sonya and Cammy quickly turned their heads to the direction he was looking at.

At first, they felt relieved when they saw Kenshi coming out of the shadows. However, that suddenly changed when they saw an unconscious Alex in his arms with her clothes in shreds and blood on her body.

Immediately, the three of them ran over to them and Sonya was the first to speak. "Is she-"

"Barely," Kenshi quickly replied.

Sonya calmed herself down then. "Okay, Kenshi I'll help you bring Alex to her room. Cammy, go get Raiden and Rose. And Wagner, just wait outside the room."

Immediately, Wagner and Cammy ran back into the cave without another word as Sonya helped Kenshi bring Alex to her room quietly. Wagner then stopped and waited in front of Alex's room as Cammy went to the lounge to seek out Raiden and Rose. She found the both of them in the room talking (or arguing, she wasn't sure, but she didn't care) and they seemed a bit startled when she came in the room.

"Raiden, Rose!" Cammy cried out as she tried to catch her breath. "Kenshi and Alex are back! Kenshi's fine, but Alex is seriously hurt!"

Without wasting any more time, Raiden and Rose stood up. Rose quickly grabbed a medical kit and the two ran out of the room with Cammy following. Once they reached Alex's room, Raiden and Rose went in and Cammy sat next to Wagner, knowing that she wasn't needed any further.

Once Cammy was able to catch her breath, silence took over. Because they brought Alex in so quietly, no one in the cave had noticed anything and they were most likely going about their own business. Cammy and Wagner were only able to hear faint whispering from the room, but nothing more.

Neither one of them were sure how much time had passed. As a matter of fact, both of them almost fell asleep where they sat when the curtain opened. They looked up and saw Sonya, who had a grim look on her face.

"Is she all right?" Wagner asked her as he and Cammy stood up.

Sonya took a deep breath before replying. "I don't know. She is alive though, her heart rate and breathing seem normal though so that's a good thing. She has so many scars on her back and has rope burns on her wrists." She sighed again before proceeding. "Obviously, she was tortured. Why this came to be, we're not sure. All we know is that if Kenshi hadn't got her out of there when he did, she could've possibly been-"

She stopped for a moment as she took another deep breath. As she did, Wagner placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to say it," he said.

Sonya nodded. "Well, we cleaned her scars and Rose is bandaging them up now. The best thing we can do from here now is to see her progress overnight. Most likely, because of what she went through, she'll probably be out for a couple of days." Without anything anymore, Sonya turned around and walked back into Alex's room.

Afterward, Cammy sighed to herself as she placed a hand over the scar that she had on her left cheek. "I hope that she doesn't remember any of her horror when she wakes up. I can't imagine how traumatizing that'll be."

Wagner sighed as well as he placed an arm around Cammy's shoulders. "Come on Cam," he said to her. "Let's go take a walk for a bit."

Cammy nodded to him, his suggestion being a good idea. Silently then, they made their way out of the cave.


	43. Chapter Forty-Two

**Cave, The Next Morning**

The Thunder God Raiden and the Soul Psychic Rose woke up just before the sun rose. As they got ready for the day, silence fell between them. Normally, it was because of yet another argument they had the night before. However, this time, it was of a different matter.

After what happened with Alex, Raiden and Rose had a discussion once everything was settled. They planned to tell this exact discussion with everyone in the cave first thing in the morning.

The two waited until a couple of hours after sunrise to wake everyone up (with the exception of Alex of course) and they were told to get themselves dressed and gather at the campfire because they had something important to discuss.

The cave seemed to have fallen as silent as a grave once everyone got the word. To almost everyone, this was nearly a mirror image of the morning they were told of Ibuki's death. Some didn't hold their breaths, not wanting to jump to conclusions just yet.

Soon, they were gathered around the lit campfire. Most wore warm clothing or had a blanket around them since the air in Outworld was quite chilly that morning.

When everyone was settled, Raiden spoke. "Let me assure you, first off, that no one has passed on, thank the Heavens. However, an incident did take place late last night."

Rose took over from there. "Two days ago after losing her match, Alex went missing. We're not sure what happened between then and late last night, but Raiden and I will be investigating this today."

"Is she all right?" asked McCoy who sat at the end of the front row of the group.

"She'll be fine," Raiden replied. "She has some scars that will be with her for the remainder of her life, but that's only the worse of it physically. How she'll be emotionally when she wakes up…" he trailed off for a moment, but then spoke again almost quickly. "Had it not been for Kenshi, who ventured out during the day yesterday, Alex would've possibly been…" once again he trailed off.

Rose continued from there again. "Once we cared for her, Raiden and I had a discussion. Due to this situation… and I honestly wish this was done after we lost Ibuki… no one here is to leave this area without at least one person with you from now on. I know you are strong warriors, each and every one of you, but it's for the best."

Some grunted a bit once they were told of the new rule. Despite that, even they understood that it was indeed for the best.

Soon, the meeting ended. Almost immediately, Julia stood up and paced herself back into the cave. Ken saw this and was curious as to why she was in a rush. He got himself up and began following her to her room. When he got there, he pulled the closed curtain aside.

"Julia?" he asked aloud.

Julia quickly turned around and saw her friend there. She sighed as though she was in a bit of relief. "Oh, it's you," she said.

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, normally I get a hello… you have your match today, right?"

Julia's face seemed to fill with a bit determination as a reply to the question. "Yeah, it's taking place this afternoon… unfortunately, the last twenty-four hours haven't been so great. I'm having a… problem… if you even call it that."

As she spoke, Ken noted that she seemed more irritated by whatever problem she was having. Between that and the fact that she had a match, he decided that it was best not to ask about it.

"Well," he began to say. "Whatever happens Julia, I wish you the best of luck."

Julia nodded. "Thanks Ken. You've been a good friend since day one."

"Don't mention it."

A sly smirk came over her face suddenly. "And for today… with everything that has been going on the last day, I have the perfect outfit to wear for my match."

She unzipped the duffle bag she had on her bed before taking out a few pieces of fabric and laid it out on the bed. Once he got a good look, Ken's dark eyes widened in surprise.

"You really going to wear that?" he asked. "Nothing wrong with it or anything…it just doesn't seem like you."

The smirk on Julia's face widened. "Let's just say that I was saving this for a perfect moment."

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

"Matrik!" the Shadow Priest called out a few minutes after the last match ended.

Matrik silently stepped into the ring and headed towards the middle. It had been two hours since the meeting in the cave. The matches for the day in the Indoor Arena began an hour ago and four matches had already taken place.

As a matter of fact, today was the last day of Round Four of the tournament. At this point, each day was significantly getting shorter, obviously with less and less fighters participating in the tournament now. One could only imagine how that would be during the next four rounds.

Soon, Matrik reached the middle of the ring. A few seconds later, her opponent's name was announced…

"Sektor!"

Matrik was nearly surprised upon hearing her former master's name. She watched as he got himself into the ring and walked towards her before stopping a few feet from her. Both of them stood still as they stared at each other. The viewers around them fell silent, unsure of how this was going to be since it would seem that two cyborgs rarely faced each other in The Blood Tournament.

Soon, they slowly got themselves in their fighting stances…

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

For another moment, they stood still in their stances. Thoughts ran through Matrik's mind. She remembered everything from her first assignment to this moment, but nothing more, much to her dismay.

_To think that Sektor may be the only key to my past,_ she thought.

It was then that a compartment in Sektor's chest opened up and he leaned back a bit as a single missile shot out. In retaliation, Matrik quickly placed a hand out and the compartment in her hand opened up, releasing five small orbs. The orbs ended up connecting to the missile throwing it off coursing and exploding a few feet away from them.

Upon the explosion, Matrik and Sektor quickly ran over to each and began exchanging blows. They fought like this for some time and seemed quite even. Eventually, Matrik managed to connect a double palm strike at Sektor's chest, forcing him to stumble back a few feet.

Before Matrik could perform another move however, Sektor suddenly sank into floor. Matrik quickly turned around and jumped back just as Sektor reappeared out of the floor as a handful of green electronic-like materials followed him, falling to the floor before slowly vanishing.

From there, the two continued exchanging more punches and kicks while trying to block at the same time. Eventually, Sektor managed to break from Matrik's blocking and landed two elbow strikes before following up with a knee to the abdomen. Even for a cyborg, this caused Matrik to keel over a bit.

As Matrik recovered from the attack, Sektor attempted a kick to her face. However, Matrik saw the move coming in time and grabbed his ankle with both of her hands. She then managed to throw it sideways, causing Sektor to spin a full circle. When he completed the circle, Matrik performed two side kicks and followed it up with another palm strike.

After being forced to rear back, Sektor shot out a hand and a long line of flames shot out. Matrik saw the flames coming in time and she did a cartwheel to the left to avoid being hit with the flames.

When the flames dispersed, Sektor once again ran over to Matrik, who was ready for him. Once he was close enough, Matrik lifted her leg up and attempted to kick him. A saw quickly came out from the bottom of her foot making a buzzing sound as it did. Sektor stopped in his tracks and bent back to avoid the blade. When it was clear, he leaned forward and from there they continued with their fight.

They exchanged more moves for a bit before Sektor noticed that they were close to the edge of the ring. It was his opportunity to win the match. He continued to fight Matrik until he saw an opening. He lifted up a leg and kicked forward. The kick connected and Matrik was sent flying out of the ring and landing a few feet away on the ground.

Sektor didn't even hear the Shadow Priest make the announcement of him winning the match as he stepped out of the ring and walked over towards Matrik. Most would stop someone from continuing to attack after the match was over. However, since Sektor was a cyborg, no one dared to go near him. When he reached Matrik, he quickly grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up so that her face was at his eye level. She held on to his wrist with her hands, but didn't struggle to get out of the grip.

"Is this all you have to offer?" he asked bitterly. "Pathetic! You were a better soldier when you were under my control!"

With that, Sektor dropped Matrik and she landed on the ground with a thud before slowly rolling to her side in defeat. Then, the red cyborg walked passed the viewers and left the arena.

~~~

**Cave**

Most of the inhabitants of the cave were off to the tournament or whatever else they were doing once lunchtime rolled around. This gave Raiden and Rose the opportunity to begin their investigation on what happened to Alex. Quietly, they approached her room, the velvet curtains closed completely. Raiden reached for the end and pulled it a couple of feet back.

"After you," he said to Rose. Rose eyed him for a moment, noting his once-in-a-while politeness. However, now wasn't the time to think about it. She walked passed the God of Thunder and proceeded into the room with Raiden following her close being.

Rose looked at the bed first, where Alex laid sleeping with two heavy blankets covering her from the neck down. She then slightly shifted her eyes to the left, a bit surprised to see that Kenshi was sitting in a chair next to the bed. He was leaning back in his chair, both of his hands resting on his lap. With the blindfold over his eyes, Rose wasn't able to tell whether or not he was sleeping.

"Kenshi?" asked Raiden.

Kenshi's head seemed to shake a bit before turning his head towards the two. "Yes?" he replied.

Rose pulled out an extra chair and placed it in front of the swordsman before sitting down. "I hope you don't mind, but we want to discuss with you what happened yesterday and last night."

"That's fine," he said as he straightened himself out in his chair.

"There is one question that's be plaguing me and Colonel Guile after I was told about this," said Raiden. "Why did you leave here without consulting us?"

"I'm used to doing things on my own," the swordsman replied. "I don't even remember exactly when I left and was a bit surprised when I found out how late it was upon my return."

Rose sighed. "Just promise that you won't do something like this again. It was enough that we were worrying about Alex and then we had to worry about you too, though we had the feeling you left to rescue her and we thank you for that."

Raiden proceeded with the next question. "Now for the main question… what happened?"

From there, Kenshi described everything that happened, from finding Alex's gun (still in the forest), to his encounter with a mysterious woman, to reaching the dungeon and killing the guard, to his encounter with the monster Berserk, to getting Alex out of the dungeon. There were a couple of details he left out, including Ermac since he felt that they were not necessary to mention.

"The dungeons are located North underneath a fortress," Kenshi continued after finishing his story. "I'm not sure exactly how far it is… more than two hours from here I think."

Raiden thought through this for a moment. He remembered the fortress that Shao Kahn once stayed at, the one where Guy fought Berserk back in Round Two of the tournament. That fortress was located East of the cave and was about a forty-five minute walk.

"I think we're on to something," Raiden said. He looked at Rose. "We know about the fortress East from here, but this on is North and much farther from the tournament grounds. This fortress may have the answers we been looking for. It's possible that we may have found Shao Kahn's whereabouts!"

"And those dungeons may be why so many fighters went missing..." Rose mentioned.

"Thank you for all the information you've given us," Raiden said to Kenshi.

Kenshi nodded in reply right before letting out a yawn. Rose looked at him. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

The swordsman shook his head. "As a matter of fact, I've been sitting here all night."

A small smirk came over Rose's face. "That's kind of you, but there's no need. You need your rest more than anything right now. After all, you had a very long day yesterday. In the meantime, I'll watch over her."

Without saying anything, Kenshi got himself up. He turned his head again, this time towards Alex. He was like this for a moment before turning around and leaving the room.

Rose waited for a moment before looking at Raiden. "As a matter of fact, why don't you leave too and get yourself something to eat."

Raiden shrugged a bit. "Well if you insist. What for anyway?"

"We don't need two people in here. The room's already cramped just like every other room in this cave… unlike the main palace-"

"Don't tell me you haven't gotten over that yet," Raiden said. He then sighed. "Enough of this, I'll take my leave." He then turned on his heel and left the room.

_Good, now I can proceed with my own plan,_ Rose thought to herself. She sat in the chair Kenshi sat in previously. She leaned herself forward and reached her right hand gently towards Alex. She placed two fingers on the side of her neck to check her pulse, which was steady.

Rose then spoke softly. "It's been a long time since I've done this procedure, ever since the days of Bison's reign with Shadaloo. You obviously went through unspeakable torture, one that will plague your mind forever. Though you sleep peacefully now, I can sense your inner pain and I cannot imagine what will become of you when you awaken. In addition, we have a mission and it seems that we have new information concerning it, thus we need you at your best. Therefore, I will suppress your memories of your time in the dungeons. When you awake, the last thing you will remember is the aftermath of your last match."

With that, Rose placed a hand over Alex's forehead and began to suppress her memories of what happened to her during the last two days.

~~~

**Courtyard**

Mika looked on as the match in front of her continued on. Though it seemed to be a good match, she didn't really pay much attention to it. The last twenty-four hours plagued her mind. She admitted the fact that she had always been a curious person. Perhaps to Julia Chang, she was much too curious for her taste.

_What have I ever done to her?_ she asked herself.

"Earth to Mika," she suddenly heard a voice say. Mika blinked a couple of times before turning her head to Sakura.

"Um, what?" Mika said without thinking.

Sakura laughed a bit. "You were spacing out there for a minute," she said.

"Yeah, I think your eyes almost crossed for a second there," mentioned Cassandra.

"I thought the same thing!" called out Maki.

Asuka patted her friend's shoulder. "So what has been bugging you?" she asked.

Mika sighed a bit. "It's nothing. And besides, I shouldn't be talking about it before my match. Perhaps afterward, I will."

"Well all right," said Maki. "Well whatever is bothering you, try not to think about it."

"I'll try," Mika said. She then looked at Asuka. "Hey, did I give you a congrats on your win?"

Asuka smiled. "Yes you did… three days ago."

The five of them continued with their chat, easing Mika a bit from what happened yesterday. Soon the match that was going on ended and the two fighters cleared out of the ring (since the losing opponent was knocked out). Once that happened, Shang Tsung announced that the next match would begin and soon announced the first of the two fighters.

"Rainbow Mika!"

Sakura turned to her friend. "Good luck!" she said.

"Same here," the other three girls said at the same time.

Mika managed to smile a bit. "Thanks," she said before stepping into the ring. Soon she reached the middle of the ring and began stretching herself out. After a few more seconds, her opponent's name was announced.

"Julia Chang!"

Mika suddenly froze upon hearing that name. _Of all the opponents to fight, why did it have to be her…_

Soon, Julia stepped into the ring. Mika expected her to wear her traditional Native American-like outfit she saw her wear a couple of times in her matches. However, she was very surprised upon seeing Julia's outfit. She wore her normal pigtails with different colored bands. The outfit itself consisted of a dark green vest, brown gloves, a light green band with a pocket over her right thigh, match green boots over white socks, and green shorts that looked like wrestling shorts.

With determination on her face, Julia paced herself over to Mika. Normally, one would stop a few feet from their opponent, but when Julia stopped walking, the two found themselves nose to nose. Since both of them were the same height, they had no problem eying each other. The gesture caused the viewers to whisper in curiosity.

In the audience, Ryu, Ken, Wagner, and Cammy happened to be watching the match. Once they saw the match-up, Ryu brought a hand to his forehead. "Just great…"

Ken lightly punched his best friend's arm. "Don't worry Ryu… I bet the girl you want more will win."

Ryu eyed Ken causing him to laugh a bit. Wagner jumped into the conversation then. "And besides, this may end up being a good cat fight."

"Scott!" Cammy called out folding her arms.

Wagner raised a hand. "Gee Cam, I was only kidding."

Back in the ring, Julia and Mika continued to eye each other, even after Shang Tsung called for the match to begin. Tension rose between the two before Julia spoke. "Don't get too confident just because you're fighting me."

Mika narrowed her eyes more. "At least I'm not trying to be an arrogant bitch."

In response, Julia lifted a hand as though she was about to slap her. However, she brought her hand to the side of Mika's face and quickly tore off the blue mask she had around her eyes, the fabric slipping off immediately and falling to the ground. In the audience, Mika's friends gasped in surprise.

Mika stood still for a moment, and no one was sure what was going to happen next. Then, the blonde woman lifted both of her hands, grabbed on to the V part of Julia's vest and tore the front completely, a loud rip being heard as Julia's white bra was revealed. Julia gasped in surprised as did most of the viewers who saw what just happened.

"That does it!" Julia cried out as she jumped forward and tackled Mika to the ground. From there, the two girls fought viciously, punching at each other and rolling around as one tried to dominate the other.

Wagner couldn't help but laugh as the fight continued on. Then an idea came to him. He took out a dollar from his pocket and turned to the viewers behind him. "I have a dollar! Who wants to make bets?!"

Cammy gasped and tried to grab the dollar away from Wagner, but it was too late as the men around them began taking out their own money and began handing them over to Wagner.

"Your hopeless," Cammy sighed giving up.

The fight continued between Mika and Julia. Eventually, Julia was able to get Mika on her stomach before getting on top of her, locking one leg with her own, then grabbed her face with her hands before pulling her back. Mika struggled to get out of the grip, trying to rip Julia's hands off with her own. Soon, Julia felt satisfied and rolled off of Mika.

Before Julia could completely stand up, Mika lifted up a leg and managed to knee Julia right in the back. The blow caused Julia to fall on her hands in pain, giving Mika a chance to get herself back on her feet. Once she did, Mika lifted her foot and kicked Julia in the side, causing her to fall completely to the ground.

"How do you like that now?" Mika screamed out.

Julia growled and rolled back away from Mika. Despite the pain, Julia managed to get herself back up before running over to Mika again. As she did, Julia jumped up, using both feet and attempted to kick Mika, but the blonde woman jumped back before she was hit. When Julia landed back on the ground, Mika tackled her to the ground once again. When she got the chance, Mika placed her in a sharpshooter, trapping Julia's legs with her arms. Julia now found herself at the bad end of a submission move and struggled to get out of it.

Soon, Mika let her go. Julia rolled forward and got herself back on her feet, though she stumbled a bit due to her weakened legs.

Mike stood up as well and looked at Julia. "Don't fall down just yet!"

"No, but you're about to!" Julia ran forward quickly and managed to slam her body into Mika's abdomen, knocking her down to the ground once again with a thud with Julia going down with her. Before Julia could get herself back up, Mika managed to grab her and throw her down on her stomach. She then grabbed on to the edge of her shorts and began pulling up on it as hard as she could, causing Julia to scream out in surprise.

"How do you like that?!" Mika screamed out.

"That's cheap!" Julia screamed out as she lifted her leg back to try to kick Mika. Eventually, Mika let her go and stood up. She then ran to the rope, jumped on it before pushing herself forward, doing a moonsault in the process and landed right on top of Julia, who cried out upon impact. The viewers were impressed with the move and applauded afterward.

Mika got up and waited for a minute as Julia struggled to get herself up. Once she was up, Mika ran over to her, but was met with a knee to the stomach, causing her to keel over in pain. Julia then got herself behind Mika, wrapped her arms around her waist, then performed a German Supplex. Mika screamed out in pain upon impact.

Julia stood herself up and waited for Mika to recover from the move. Mika slowly stood herself up before turning herself to Julia. With a loud scream, she jumped after Julia and they fought a bit more, pulling at each other's pigtails at one point as well. Soon, Mika was able to get the upper hand and landed some punches and kicks before rearing back to perform a favorite move of hers.

" _Flying Peach!_ " she called out as she jumped forward and flew backwards. She managed to land the move on Julia, causing her to stumble back right out of the ring.

Julia was still standing when she went out of the ring. She waited for Mika to be announced as the winner of the match, and once that happened, Julia jumped right back in the ring.

"You may have won, but I'm not done with you!" she screamed out. However, before she could reach Mika, Ken, Cammy, and all of Mika's friends jumped in the ring and managed to grab the both of the before anything worse happened.

"Break it up you two," Ken told them. "The match is over!"

"I agree that this _isn't_ over!" Mika called out to Julia before her friends pulled her out of the ring with Ken and Cammy doing the same with Julia.

Once the ring was cleared out, Wagner couldn't help but yell out, "That was the best fight EVER!" Most of the men in the audience screamed out "YEAH!" in reply followed by loud cheering and whistling.

Throughout the whole time, Ryu had his hand over his face in embarrassment. Only he knew why Julia and Mika fought the way they did in their match and he didn't like it one bit. _Why can't we all just get along?_ he thought with a sigh.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Sitting at his throne, Shao Kahn was a bit in disarray. Everything was quiet in the fortress, with nearly everyone out at the tournament or working on their assignments so it gave him time to think through what happened last night.

For one thing, the Emperor wasn't even sure how the woman who was a 'sacrifice' for Berserk escaped the dungeons to begin with. The guards who survived Ermac's attacks mentioned that she was already long gone by the time they got there.

What Shao Kahn did know however, according to the same guards, Ermac freed the other prisoner, Paul Phoenix, and the both of them managed to escape the dungeons as well.

That was another thing he couldn't understand. Ermac was guaranteed to be a trusted ally and never to betray his master. That was the point of creating him after all. Since Shang Tsung had helped with creating Ermac, as long as the sorcerer had full power, Ermac was under their control. Something obviously went wrong if he was able to betray them the way he did.

Just yesterday, Ermac was one of the best. Now he was nothing but a traitor and he would pay dearly for it.

A plan came to him at that moment. He just had to give a certain someone an assignment for that plan to go through.

Shao Kahn stood up and left his throne room. He walked down to a chamber area of the fortress, which was one level below the throne room. He opened the door to one room and walked in.

Sitting on a throne was Ogre. Silently, he turned his head to Shao Kahn and his red eyes seemed to glow upon seeing the Emperor.

Shao Kahn walked over to the throne and stopped a few feet away. The _Chishio No Me_ medallion was hidden in his large hand and slightly behind him so that Ogre didn't see the object, using it so that he could keep the beast in his control.

"You have done well," the Emperor mentioned to him. "Your only assignment has been to spy on those in the tournament. You have proven yourself a very worthy ally and for this, I will be giving you an assignment which may satisfy you."

The glow in Ogre's eyes seemed to dim down upon hearing this. When this stopped completely, Shao Kahn continued. "Your assignment… to hunt down and eliminate Ermac and Paul Phoenix."

Ogre's only reply was a single nod.


	44. Chapter Forty-Three

**Underground Lair**

_Later That Evening..._

Hidden underneath a heavy black cloak, the sorcerer Quan Chi watched the matches unfold while standing a few rows back amongst the viewers. He arrived in the lair just before the first match of the evening took place. It would be part of the last handful of fights for Round Four of the tournament.

A little over two days ago, Quan Chi met up with Shang Tsung, who had given him a rolled up paper he was supposed to deliver to a man named Song. Shang Tsung had told him that it contained important information about his next match and to deliver it to him in his quarters in the main palace.

That afternoon, Quan Chi did go to the palace, but he didn't head to Song's room just yet. He began to think through exactly what he was doing. For one thing, he never directly met Song at this point. According to Shang Tsung, he was supposedly a reliable ally, but why hasn't Quan Chi been introduced to him as of yet?

Before taking the scroll up to Song's room, Quan Chi hid within the shadows and peaked over at the letter. Song's match was the eighth match to take place in the Underground Lair for that night and his opponent was going to be Sagat. Once Quan Chi memorized the information, he took the scroll up to Song's room and slipped it under his door (whether Song was in his room at the time was unknown).

Quan Chi arrived at the lair and from there, he began counting how many matches had gone by. The more matches that passed, the slower time seemed to go for the sorcerer. Eventually though, the seven matches that took place before Song's finally passed.

Sagat was the first to be called. Quan Chi didn't really pay attention until that moment and when he did, he realized that it was one of the Shadow Priests who was hosting the tournament and not Shang Tsung. It was no matter, since Shao Kahn did give him breaks from hosting every once in a while. Even so, Quan Chi decided to take note of this anyway.

Then, Song's name was called. An old man stepped into the ring. Despite his age, he looked strong and most likely could hold his own. We'll see about that, Quan Chi thought.

Soon, the Shadow Priest called for the match to begin. Neither Sagat nor Song waited another moment and quickly charged towards each other. They exchanged various punches and kicks in a quick speed, enough to leave the viewers impressed, with the exception of Quan Chi of course.

After what seemed like a minute, Sagat shot out a low projectile in which Song jumped over. As he jumped, Sagat shot out the same projectile, but higher this time. Song saw the projectile coming and the only way he was able to counter it was to shoot out a fireball. The fireball soon collided with Sagat's projectile, both leaving a small explosion in the air before dispersing.

The match continued from there. Each combatant found themselves on either offense of defense, delivering normal and what they called 'special moves.' For a while, both fighters seemed quite even as they fought with ferocity. Even Quan Chi was beginning to get impressed by both of their skills.

_It's a shame that I didn't get the honor to fight either one of them in the tournament,_ the pale sorcerer thought.

It had to be about five minutes into the match that Song slowly began to get the upper hand, finally breaking through Sagat's blocks. Sagat was only about to block every other move at first, but Song soon broke through that and was able to fully gain control of the match. This went on for about a minute before Song delivered a double fireball projectile, both hitting Sagat and rendering him unconscious.

When the Shadow Priest announced Song as the winner of the match, the old man left the ring and began making his leave. Once he was out of the ring, Quan Chi began to following him out, leaving forty feet of space in between them.

Quan Chi wasn't sure how long he was following Song before he found himself in the darkness of the forest. Even in the darkness, he could still see Song in the distance.

Suddenly, a green aura surrounded Song's body, forcing Quan Chi to stop in his tracks as he watched. Soon, the aura disappeared and when it did, a sadistic grin slowly crept up on the pale sorcerer's face. He realized from that point that he had no further need to follow Song.

"So," Quan Chi said to him. "That's why you're relied on so much…"

~~~

**Far From The Tournament Grounds**

It didn't seem that long since darkness took over Paul Phoenix. It was more like a minute for him. The last thing he was able to remember before losing consciousness was someone picking him up from the ground in his cell. When he slowly opened his eyes, he was lying down on the ground again. However, he wasn't on hard stoned surface this time.

Paul's body was completely surrounded by two heavy blankets… one was underneath him, which covered the grass he was lying on. The other covered him from the neck down. When he was able to completely open his eyes, he felt the cool breeze hitting his sore face, stinging him in some spots. Already facing up, he saw tall trees surrounding him, the green leaves swaying with the wind.

Aside from the sound of the wind, he was able to hear a soft cracking sound just to the left. He slowly turned his head to that direction before a bright light hit his eyes, forcing him to squint them. When Paul was able to adjust his vision, he was able to make out the small lit campfire.

_Where the hell am I?_ the Judo fighter asked himself. He then dared himself to at least sit up so that he was able to get a better idea of his surroundings. Even while going slow, sore-like pain shot up and down his body, making him grunt with each force he used. Soon, he was fully sitting up and was able to let out a sigh of relief.

Paul shifted his eyes up and was now able to see that he was in the middle of a forest. Aside from the wind and the crackling fire in front of him, no other sound was heard and nothing else was seen for what looked like miles.

"You're finally awake Paul Phoenix," an echo-like voice spoke suddenly.

Paul quickly turned his head to the voice and saw a man dressed in a black and reddish-orange attire floating towards him and surrounded by a green aura. In his gloved hands was a wooden bowl with hot stream escaping out of it.

"…Who are you?" Paul asked him.

The green aura disappeared and the man floated back to the ground. He walked a few more feet forward before sitting himself down three feet from Paul.

"We are Ermac. We were the ones who made your escape from the dungeon possible."

Paul raised an eyebrow, noting the 'we' in his sentences. "We?"

Ermac sighed a bit, pretty much used to this type of question being asked at this point. "This body consists of many souls… souls of great warriors collected by Shao Kahn over the years."

Even with the explanation, Paul still felt confused. He figured that it was too soon to be collecting even small information in his mind.

Before Paul was able to speak, Ermac continued. "Shao Kahn is the Emperor of Outworld. He has been the one orchestrating this tournament. The host of the tournament, Shang Tsung, is his second set of eyes. Until yesterday, we worked for the Emperor, taking on any orders he gave without question. For a long time, we had wished to discontinue serving him. We finally got that chance. Since Chishio No Me was handed to him, we no longer trusted him. Whatever plans he has for that medallion, he has been keeping it under wraps since day one, even to the most loyal of servants."

"What was your reason for rescuing me?" Paul asked curiously.

"We had served Shao Kahn for many years and with our escape, we wish to atone for our sins. Rescuing you was our first act of doing just that."

A thought came to Paul and he suddenly felt a bit of anger within him. "Why me? Out of anyone you could've escaped with, it should've been that girl who was being tortured by that beast-"

"An ally of mine found himself in the dungeons and escaped with her," Ermac cut in. "She will be fine, we assure you."

Paul felt a small sigh of relief escape his throat. _That's good…_ he thought.

Ermac passed over the bowl he had in his hands to Paul, who slowly took it in his own palms. Paul looked into the bowl and saw that it was hot water.

"You have been in that dungeon for over two weeks and you will need much rest," Ermac told him. "We're currently very far from the fortress and the tournament grounds so no one will find us. Shao Kahn and his forces are surely hunting us down as we speak."

Paul didn't really pay attention to the last part Ermac said to him as he looked down at the bowl he had in his hands. _Have I really been only trapped in that dungeon for two weeks?_ he asked himself, still feeling a bit shocked. _If felt much longer than that…_

Throughout his time in the dungeons, he saw even the strongest of men die within three to four days after being imprisoned. How he managed to survive for that long, he would never know.

_Perhaps just being alive is more worth it than being the best in the universe…_

After the thought, Paul placed the bowl to his lips and drank the hot water, feeling true warmth for the first time in over two weeks.

~~~

**Cave**

After some time brushing her hair out, Julia tied it into a single braid rather than her normal double braids. She looked at her face in a small compact mirror, noting the bruise that developed on her right cheek from her match with Mika a few hours ago. It was now covered with as much cover-up as she could get on it without making her face look cakey.

Since the end of that match, nearly everyone in the cave did all they could to keep the two of them separated. This irritated Julia not even an hour later so she volunteered to take a well-deserved nap (despite losing the match). That way, she would let Mika do whatever she wanted during that time.

Since waking up, Julia got herself in her blue jeans, brown boots, and a light green shirt, planning to put on her denim jacket as well once she left her room.

_Hopefully everything will be much calmer once I step out of this room,_ she thought.

Julia stood up and put on her denim jacket. She took a deep breath, almost expecting a big mob in front of her room, like the paparazzi waiting on a celebrity. However, that wasn't the case once she opened up her curtain. As a matter of fact, no one was around the area and the only noise she heard were voices coming from different rooms.

Julia began taking her leave then. She took a few steps forward before she heard a male voice calling out her name. She turned around and was a bit surprised to see Ryu walking towards her. She managed to smile a bit.

"Hey Ryu," she said.

"Hey," Ryu replied. "Haven't seen you since… well... have you been doing all right since that match this afternoon?"

Julia sighed a bit, placing her hand over the bruise she had on her cheek. "Well, I still feel a bit sore, but I'm all right." She then found herself chuckling a bit. "I'll admit, I was a bit embarrassed… I guess you can say that I… overreacted."

"Um, sure," Ryu replied. He then seemed to be looking around the area a bit before turning his head back to Julia. "Well, I know for a fact that Mika and her friends just returned from dinner at the main palace… so if you're hungry, I wouldn't mind, eh, escorting you."

Julia smirked a bit more by the invite. "That's nice of you, assuming it's a safe bet." She then grinned. "And that you don't have another planned date."

Ryu found himself laughing nervously. "Well I can assure you that I have no one else waiting for me."

"Good. Well, let's get going then, shall we?"

Ryu nodded as he and Julia left the cave. Unknown to them, Ken was listening in on their conversation from his room. When he could no longer hear their footsteps, he raised his fist as though he was posing in victory.

"Woo hoo!" Ken called out. "Ryu actually asked Julia to dinner…and without my help this time." He then placed his arm down and a confused look came over his face. "Wait a sec… he's doing this without my help?" After another moment, Ken shrugged. "Oh well, if he screws up, it's not my fault."

~~~

**Main Palace**

"So," said Seong Mi-na while looking at the people walking around on the main palace grounds. "Who do you think is going to win the tournament?"

Xianghua blinked a couple of times after hearing Mi-na's question while looking at the people in front of her as well. "You know… that's a pretty good question." A small smile came over her face. "I bet it'll be someone we don't know at all."

Mi-na looked at Xianghua then. "Well okay… how about… who do you think, out of everyone in the cave, will make it the furthest in the tournament?"

Xianghua thought through this for some time before answering. "We have some pretty good fighters in the cave."

Mi-na nodded in agreement. "We definitely do. I place bets on the following… Jin, Ryu, Ken… no wait he lost, never mind… um… oh yeah, the guy with the red blindfold, I forget his name but he's a pretty good fighter…"

Xianghua couldn't help but laugh a bit. "His name is Kenshi.”

“I knew that.”

Xianghua chuckled more. “Anyway, we'll have to see when round eight rolls around."

"Yeah," Mi-na sighed as she rested her cheek in her hand. "I feel like it's taking forever. I feel like it's been like… a year, seven months, three weeks, and a day."

Xianghua looked at her oddly. "That was a random calculation."

Mi-na couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I know, isn't it?"

As they continued to talk, the Spanish matador Vega was walking by the palace grounds when he happened to spot Xianghua sitting at the bench. He noted that she was talking to the girl sitting next to her, but he didn't pay much attention to her. His main focus was Xianghua.

Neither girl noticed Vega approaching them until Mi-na noticed a shadow suddenly coming over Xianghua, making her look at the area in front of her. What the- Mi-na suddenly thought upon seeing the stranger.

Xianghua looked up then after she noticed Mi-na turning her head away from her, now seeing the blonde haired man standing before her. A smirk came over his face as he pulled a fully-bloomed red rose from his pocket and handed it to Xianghua, who was a bit surprised by the gesture.

"Um, this is lovely," Xianghua began to say as she took the rose in her hand. "But what for?"

Vega smirked more in reply. "Simply because you possess great beauty. I expect a beautiful rose like this to be well taken care by a beautiful woman like you. Until we meet again." And with that, Vega turned around and took his leave.

Xianghua looked on in awe as Mi-na folded her arms with one eyebrow raised. "I'd be suspicious of that guy if I were you," she said. "I mean, what guy randomly gives out a rose like that?"

As Mi-na talked, Xianghua felt her cheeks turn red, but this time she didn't seem to care as she looked down at the rose. "You have to admit, he was very cute!" She looked at Mi-na. "And face it… you're jealous because he didn't give you a rose!"

"I don't give a hoot," Mi-na replied. "I'd rather get a half eaten rose from a goat. But seriously, I'm more concerned about you… I have a bad feeling about him."

"Don't worry," Xianghua began to assure her friend. "I'm sure I'll never see him again after today anyway."

"I hope not. Say, let's get back to the cave before the sun completely sets for the night."

"Good idea," Xianghua agreed. Soon, the two of them stood up and took their leave.

From a distance, Vega watched Xianghua take her leave with her female companion, looking on with his icy cold-like eyes. _That's one step out of the way for my revenge,_ he thought to himself.

It was then that a female voice spoke behind him. "What is your interest with that girl, if I may ask?"

Vega turned his head to the voice. A smirk came over his lips as his eyes met with Anna's. "Simply revenge my dear," he replied. "The man who defeated me during the second round of the tournament is allied with the girl. Whether they are friends or lovers is of no matter to me. Either way, it's still the perfect vengeance." Vega turned his head again and was able to see one last glimpse of Xianghua before she out of sight. "I will admit, however, that she is quite lovely." He then turned his completely attention to Anna and brush a finger on her chin. "But no matter what, you are the loveliest of every girl I've known."

"Even Viper?" Anna asked curiously.

Vega nodded. "Yes… even that puppet can't compete with your beauty."

Anna smiled, feeling quite flattered by his compliments. She then took a hand and brushed the side of his neck before speaking seductively. "Come to my room… I'll show you just exactly how lovely I am."

A smile came over Vega's face. "I look forward to it."

With that, they both headed into the main palace.

~~~

**Forest**

Just after sunset, Kilik was able to leave the cave grounds without being seen and began heading into the forest. This morning, he was told that, due to recent events, everyone in the cave were not able to leave the area without at least one person with them. As much as Kilik respected this, he couldn't help but venture out on his own so that he was able to train with his staff.

As he continued walking through the forest, Kilik looked down at his staff. He shook his head slightly as he remembered exactly how he got his weapon back earlier this morning after the group meeting…

_"I'm telling you," said Xianghua as she walked with Kilik and Maxi through the forest. "These apples were the best!"_

_"I hope you're right Xianghua," replied Kilik._

_"Hoping it'll be worth the trip?" asked Maxi._

_Kilik nodded. "I admit, I'm still a bit bummed out about losing my staff… and losing an Outworld bamboo stick… and losing my match…"_

_"And losing the girl," Maxi joked, referring to Kilik's opponent Jade._

_Kilik looked at his male companion oddly. "What are you talking about?"_

_Maxi was about to say something when he suddenly tripped, letting out an 'oof' upon landing. "Owe…" he uttered._

_"You all right?" asked Xianghua._

_Maxi rubbed his head a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine, I tripped over something…" He briefly searched the ground before his face lit up. "Aha!" Maxi called out. "Right where I left it!" He then grabbed the object and lifted… Kilik's staff!_

_"Wha-" Kilik began to say as Maxi nervously gave the staff back to him before patting him on the shoulder. "Here you go buddy."_

_Xianghua watched as Kilik looked at his staff, then back at Maxi. Upon looking at Maxi, Xianghua could've swore that, if it was possible, that devil horns grew on Kilik's head, along with his teeth sharpening like Piranha teeth, and his eyes turning a blood red._

_" **MAXI!** " Kilik screamed out in rage._

_"Oh crap!" Maxi cried out before making a run for it with Kilik following him not far behind with his staff ready to whack him over the head._

_" **WHEN I REACH YOU!** " Kilik screamed out. " **I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A BLOODY PULP!** "_

_"Resorting to violence is not the answer!" Xianghua called out. She then realized what she said, considering that they were here for a tournament, and sighed. "Oh what's the use…" she uttered before walking down the path the boys ran through…_

Kilik sighed to himself after that thought. The truth was, he just gave Maxi a good slap across the face when he did eventually reach him. Maxi told him that he would do any chores that Kilik had, including laundry and dishes, for the remainder of their stay in Outworld as his apology. Kilik forgave him, but even not he still felt a bit fumed by the fact that Maxi took his staff without his permission.

_Well with no chores to do,_ Kilik thought to himself. _I'll have more time to do some training now._

As he continued walking, he began to hear what sounded like training not too far from him. Curiosity go the best of him and he began to follow the noise. It didn't take him long before he saw the female figure training with her own staff. Kilik then saw her face and recognized Jade.

_Wow, I didn't think I'd see her again,_ he thought to himself. Not realizing it, a tiny smirk came upon his face as he continued to watch Jade training in the small open field she stood in.

It wasn't long since Kilik spotted Jade that she stopped with her training and turned to where he stood. For a brief moment she looked at him with her green eyes as though she was trying to recognize him. Soon, she remembered who he was and walked over to him.

"Nice to see you again," she said to him.

For a second, Kilik found himself dazing out as she was walking towards him. Upon hearing her voice, he snapped out of it, slightly shaking his head a bit.

"Same here… I was, eh, just talking a walk and heard a noise," he replied.

Jade shifted her eyes, seeing the staff that he had in his hand. "I see you got your staff back."

Kilik sighed a bit. "It's a long story. Say, I noticed that you're alone. Why so?"

"I normally like training alone," Jade answered. "But actually, I just was about to complete my training for the night."

"I see," Kilik said. "Do you mind me escorting you back to the main palace? I've heard… rumors about bad encounters in the forest…"

Jade quietly sighed to herself as she thought about Shao Kahn's minions going after her and the royal family. After pondering in her mind, she looked at Kilik. "Well, if you insist."

"Not without me!" a voice suddenly said not too far from them. Jade tightened the grip on her staff, ready to fight. However, it wasn't necessary since Kilik instantly realized that the voice belonged to Maxi.

"What are you doing here?" Kilik asked as Maxi came out of the bushes.

"I saw you sneaking out alone," Maxi answered. "You know that's against the rules now you know."

"Yes Maxi," Kilik said through clenched teeth.

Jade chuckled a bit. "Well thank you anyway Kilik, but I'll be fine. The palace isn't too far from here. Perhaps next time we meet we can finally have that sparring match since you have you staff back. See you later." Then Jade took her leave.

"See you," Kilik said with a small sigh. He then glared at Maxi. "You realized that I'm still not happy with you about this morning, right?"

"I know I know," Maxi said. "Hey, I'm just looking out for my best friend… if I had known you were going to meet up with your girlfriend, I would've left you alone."

"Maxi… she's not my girlfriend."

"Suuure she isn't. You may think that now, but soon-"

Kilik didn't want to hear the rest and began walking away.

"Hey I was kidding!" Maxi called out as he began following Kilik.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

"I'm glad you two were able to meet up tonight on such short notice," said Ashrah as she placed some firewood in the campfire.

"It's not a problem," replied Sub-Zero.

"You have discovered something new with Noob and Sektor?" asked Matrik.

Ashrah leaned back and sat herself down on the ground before replying. "I wouldn't jump to that conclusion just yet. However, during my last few days of investigation, I've been sensing Noob's presence about an hour west from here, deep within the forest. His presence seems to be lurking there a lot. Because of this, it may be possible that I have found his and Sektor's new hideout.

"Have you been able to spot anything, like a fortress, that could possibly be their new hideout?" Sub-Zero asked.

"I haven't seen a fortress," Ashrah replied. "But I have spotted a few caves in the area so it's possible that their new hideout could be in one of those caves."

"It's best that we investigate those caves first," suggested Matrik. "I know this piece of information is most likely of little significance, but the Tekunin clan's hideout back in Earthrealm was in a cave so it could be that they chose a similar hideout. It didn't surprise me that's where they hid the firs time."

"But it is a bit of information to keep in the back of our thoughts," Ashrah said. She then looked at Matrik seriously. "It's unfortunate that you lost to Sektor in the tournament this morning…"

"I know," Matrik answered. "But a tournament means nothing to me when it comes to Sektor. Our rivalry should be settled at our own time."

"As much as I agree with you," said Sub-Zero. "Try to remember that our main focus right now is rescuing Smoke."

"He's right," said Ashrah. "Your fight with Sektor has to wait a bit longer for now."

Matrik only nodded in reply.

"I'll continue to investigate the area for a couple of more days," Ashrah continued. "If my feelings are right that Noob and Sektor are indeed hiding there, we'll make our move again."

"Sounds good," Sub-Zero said. He then looked up into the dark sky afterward. I just hope we can succeed this time…

~~~

**Inside the Cave**

"Glad you two can make it," said Raiden. He sat down in the lounge at a small table next to Rose. Across the table, both Raven and Nina Williams sat in their own chairs, drinking the green tea that Rose prepared for them.

A side smirk appeared on Nina's face. "Where else could I go really in a place like this?" she said a bit sarcastically.

"So what's going on?" asked Raven.

Rose looked at the both of them seriously. "First off, we want to tell you that this meeting is top secret. No one else in the cave is to know of this but the four of us. You two are some of the most skilled and ruthless agents we have here and are very stealthy. These are the reasons why you are perfect for the assignment we're about to give you."

Raiden continued for her. "We believe that we may have found Shao Kahn's true hideout."

Both Nina and Raven looked at their leaders a bit surprised but with interest. "Really?" asked Nina.

"Yes," Raiden continued. "An… anonymous tip came to us today during our investigation. The fortress we were told about is supposed to be located North from here. It's more than a two hour walk."

"Let me guess," Nina began to say. "You want us to investigate."

Rose nodded. "Yes. What we want you two to do is go down there for a couple of days and investigate wherever you can in that area and report anything you find there… even if it's one piece of information."

"Perhaps there," Raiden began to mention. "You two will be able to find… information that brought you to Outworld to begin with."

Raven nodded as he thought about his original assignment… finding out more about Shang Tsung. "I'll take the assignment," he said.

"Same here," Nina said. Then she looked at Raven. "However, I'm used to working alone."

"I know," Rose said. "But just this once I want you two to work together. It's supposed to be a large fortress so it's best that two people go… plus with the new rule…"

"Fine then," Nina and Raven both said at once.

Raiden smiled a bit. "Good then. I can assure you two that teaming up is the best thing to do when it comes to things like this."

_That depends on who you team up with,_ Rose said in her mind as she eyed Raiden.

"When do you want us to leave?" Raven asked.

"You can leave anytime tomorrow," Raiden said. "Preferably night time."

"That won't be a problem," Nina said.

"Then it's all settled," Rose said. "I wish you two the best of luck. And be careful."

"We will," Raven replied.

~~~

**In Another Part of the Cave**

Upon finally (but slowly) waking up, the first thing Alex Walker felt was a stinging feeling on her back, then a slight pressure. She blinked a couple of times, trying to get her vision back. When she did, she realized that she was lying on her side, back in her own bed.

Alex then felt the pressure on her back again and that same stinging feeling from before. The stinging feeling wasn't enough to make her twitch (then again, she was still waking up so it would probably hit her more when she was more awake), but she wondered why her back was stinging.

The pressure went away for a moment. She heard the sounds of soft splashing water before feeling the pressure again. It was then that she realized that someone was patting her back down with a wash cloth. Not knowing who was behind the wash cloth, she decided to speak.

"That's so sweet of you," she said, her voice sounding raspy.

The person immediately pulled the cloth away before touching Alex's shoulder and guiding her to lay on her back. Alex was able to see the person clearly this time, immediately recognizing Sonya.

Sonya smiled upon seeing that Alex was awake. "As sarcastic as ever."

"…Was I being sarcastic?" Alex asked confused.

"Well… oh it doesn't matter, you're okay! I'd hug you, but I might end up crushing you."

Alex laughed nervously a bit. "Um yeah…what happened? The last thing I can remember is walking through the forest after I lost my match…"

Sonya was silent for a moment, unsure if she even wanted to tell her what happened. However, even with her memory wipe, Sonya felt that it was best to tell Alex what went on. After all, she was going to wonder why she had scars on her back and red marks on her wrists.

"We're actually not sure what happened…” Sonya began to say. “You were found pretty far from this area. We manage to get you back here last night."

As she talked, Alex noticed the burns on her wrists and examined them for a moment. "I'm afraid I'm starting to have an idea… these look like rope burns and with my back stinging…"

"Hey," Sonya cut in as she patted her friend on the should softly. "What matters is that everything is going to be fine."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She then looked at Sonya. "Hey… I'm still feeling groggy. If it's okay with you, I prefer if you didn't tell anyone that I'm awake just yet."

Before Sonya could answer, the curtain to Alex's room opened. The two women looked over at the curtain and saw Kenshi, who had just woken up from his day-long sleep, pulling the curtain aside before walking in.

"Alex?" Kenshi asked.

"Hey," Alex greeted.

A grin came over Sonya's face as she stood up. Clearly, Alex made an exception to her original request. "Well,” the Captain began. “Um, I think my job here is done for now. I'm going to go, eh, check up on some paperwork."

"I thought you and Guile got all those done," Kenshi mentioned.

"Eh, double checking them doesn't hurt you know," Sonya answered. "I'll see you two later." Then she left the room, leaving the curtain closed.

Alex had just taken out the wet cloth from the water-filled bowl as Kenshi sat down in the chair Sonya was just in a moment ago. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Like I was hit by a 18-wheeler truck at full speed," Alex replied as she placed the cloth on her right wrist. Before she could put pressure on the cloth, Kenshi had taken both the cloth and her wrist in his hands. Alex wanted to protest, but she felt too tired to, so she let him go ahead and do the job.

"You were in pretty bad shape when I first found you," Kenshi said quietly. "Everyone here kept saying that it was good that I found you when I did."

"…Sonya didn't tell me that you were the one who saved me." A small smirk came over Alex's face. "You didn't go alone, did you?"

Kenshi fell silent then, which pretty much gave Alex the answer. "It's... not good to be by yourself in a strange place like this…”

"I'm used to doing things alone," Kenshi said. "Besides... I've only been close with very few people throughout my life. All those people died before I even went blind." He then gave her a barely-noticed side smirk. "It's a good thing that you didn't know me then… I was one egotistical bastard. You could say that becoming blind turned me a bit humble."

For a moment, Alex wasn't sure why Kenshi mentioned any of this to begin with. Then it came to her… she remembered him telling her that he had been on his own until he joined Special Forces. Now she understood why he rescued her alone… he didn't want to wait around, only to lose yet another...

_Close friend,_ she thought, feeling a bit astonished upon realizing what he was implying. _He considers me a close friend. This... changes things. We're not just colleagues any more..._

~~~

**Main Palace**

It had been a few hours since Sagat lost his match in the Underground Lair to an old man named Song. Even with his loss, Sagat trained himself on the palace grounds. It was beginning to get late so there were less people outside. To Sagat, the less people around, the little chance of any sort of distraction.

However, before he could finish up his warm ups, his thoughts of knowing that he would not be distracted would come too soon as his former pupil Adon showed up, appearing from behind one of the statues. At first, Adon didn't seem to notice him, but once he turned his head towards his former master, he stopped in his tracks, staring at him for a moment before approaching him.

Sagat stopped his warm ups and looked down at Adon. The two of them stared at each other before Adon spoke. "Why do you bother training?" he asked. "After all, you have lost your sense of honor."

Sagat narrowed his single eye at him. "Petty things, even revenge, shouldn't stop one from training."

Revenge… a small word, yet it meant so much to the former Muay Thai champion. That included the fact that Adon was going out for his own revenge against the man who left scars on his face.

"It's not too late to go back on your word, Adon," Sagat said with a small hint of concern.

Adon grunted a bit. "Nothing will stop me from going back on my word! Besides, I plan to challenge Havik to a fight with the next few days-"

"You're a fool!" Sagat cut in. "You're not ready to face a fighter like Havik! You are a good warrior, but what you have not realized is that you have-"

"Can it!" Adon demanded. "Sometimes I wonder why I even approach you! From this point on, you are to no longer get involved with my affairs!" With that, Adon left and began heading towards the palace leaving Sagat bewildered.

As Adon left, Sagat noticed two shadows not too far from him, a male and a female. After a moment, he immediately recognized the male… Ryu! That alone made Sagat forget all about his previous encounter with Adon.

_So,_ Sagat thought. _You really are here as it was rumored._

But then, Sagat almost forgot about the female who was with him. He shifted his eye to her and was quite surprised to see who the girl was.

_Julia Chang…_

Sagat then remembered the last time he saw Julia…

_Phoenix, Arizona, Nearly A Month Ago…_

_It was two in the morning when Sagat approached the apartment that belonged to Julia. Wearing a pair of black slacks and a heavy hooded black sweater (with the hood over his head), Sagat was able to jimmy the lock to the apartment. Then quietly, he walked inside._

_The living room was in the back of the apartment and it was there that he found Julia sleeping peacefully at her desk. No matter where she was sleeping, Sagat planned to wake her up._

_Before he was able to touch her shoulder, he noticed an envelope with her name on it just next to her. Curiosity got the best of him as he picked up the card. It was unopened, most likely delivered to her recently. He recognized the handwriting on the envelope and realized that she was invited to the Blood Tournament._

_This gave Sagat an idea._

_He found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a brief letter to Julia before attaching it to the envelope with a paper clip. Once he completed that, he left her apartment, locking the door before stepping out…_

The flashback ended as Sagat continued to look over at Julia and Ryu. Since the both of them were hanging out together, now wasn't the best time to approach either one of them.

_Seems that you have come here to find out the truth,_ Sagat thought about Julia. _The next time I see you, I will complete my last mission during my quest to atone for my sins from Shadaloo… soon, you will know the truth about you mother, Michelle Chang._


	45. Chapter Forty-Four

**Cave**

"Chun Li?" a voice said, waking the Interpol detective out of her sleep.

Chun Li moaned a little as she forced herself to open her eyes. Having been lying on her side, she shifted her body so that she was laying on her back. Once she did, a sudden smell hit her nose… a good smell at that. She got herself to open her eyes a bit more and saw her friend Lei sitting at the edge of the bed holding a plate of food in his hands.

"Good morning," Lei said with a warm smile. "I figured you were hungry so I brought it to you while it's still hot."

Chun Li slowly sat herself up and took the plate in her hand. "That's very nice of you Lei," she said as she picked up the fork which was on top of the food. "But you didn't have to go through the trouble… what's the occasion?"

Lei laughed a little nervously. "Eh, well, Yin made food this morning and I thought you'd be hungry."

Chun Li chuckled a little. "Don't worry if you didn't make the food. It's the thought that counts and I thank you."

"It's no problem."

Chun Li dug into the food with her fork and took a few bits of her food. While trying to think up of a conversation starter, Lei came up with an idea.

"Say," he said. "Since there are no matches today and Round Five begins tomorrow, why don't I make us some dinner tonight."

A smile came over Chun Li's face. "I didn't know you cooked. Wow, I can't wait to try out your food. What do you think you will be making?"

Lei sighed a bit. "Gee, eh, I'm not even sure yet, but I'll figure it out. But either way, let's meet up at the campfire at seven o'clock."

"It's a date."

"Cool… well, see you." Then Lei quickly got up and left the room, finally realizing what he just said.

_Just great,_ Lei thought while biting his tongue. _Lei, what the hell were you thinking! You're lucky to be able to even cook ramen noodles without setting the microwave on fire like that one time! Now you only have…_ He briefly looked at his watch. _Ten hours to learn how to cook!_

Unsure of what else to do, Lei quickly left the cave to figure out a plan.

~~~

**Main Palace**

_That wasn't a bad breakfast this morning,_ Kitana thought to herself as she began to take her leave from the dining quarters.

Though it was still morning, she actually considered this a late breakfast for her, since there was only a couple of more hours before lunch was going to be served. She ended up sleeping in a little bit late this morning, something she rarely did. Not wanting to wait around, her mother Sindel and her best friend Jade had already went down to breakfast earlier. Currently, the two of them were training for Jade's sake in preparations for Round Five of the tournament, which began tomorrow.

As she exited through the doors, Kitana spotted Siegfried a few yards away, heading into the direction of the main doors. She had only seen him once since their encounter with Mileena and the tarkatan hordes, but it was so brief that she couldn't remember exactly what they had talked about or if they even talked at all. Either way, now was her chance to talk to him again, considering the fact that it could be days before she saw him again.

"Siegfried!" the Princess called out as she paced herself towards him. Siegfried heard her call his name and turned to face her, a warm smirk appearing on his face.

"Good morning, Kitana," Siegfried said once she was a couple of feet away.

Kitana smiled in reply. "Good morning to you as well. So where are you heading off to?"

"Just off to train," Siegfried replied. "Since round five of the tournament starts tomorrow, I should prepare for it. You never know whether or not I have a match tomorrow when I get the notice."

"That's true. Well, um, do you need a sparring partner?"

Before Siegfried could answer however, the smirk on his face seemed to fade suddenly. As it did, he looked down at his right hand, which began to slightly shake a bit.

_Not again!_ he cried out in his mind.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," he said and began to leave.

Kitana had enough then. Almost every time she met up with him, he always left quickly without any sort of explanation. Plus, she always could pinpoint when he was going to do that… it was whenever he looked at his hand. Now it was beginning to officially drive her crazy.

Quickly, the Princess stepped forward and grabbed on to Siegfried's arm. Siegfried turned her head to her, a bit surprised by the gesture.

"How long have I known you since coming to Outworld?" she said. "I've known you for days, yet I feel as though I hardly know you at all. Why do you keeping running away? Please tell me, Siegfried."

Siegfried sighed to himself. He wanted to tell the truth, but he just couldn't for her own sake (and her family's for that matter).

"I wish I could tell you," he replied. "However, it would only endanger your life. I'm sorry." Then he pulled his arm away and paced himself out of the main palace.

_I'm tired of being left in the dark!_ Kitana yelled in her mind. Without thinking much about it, she stood where she was for a minute to give Siegfried a head start. Then she walked out of the main palace and began following him, unsure of where his path will lead her.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

"The time has come," Shang Tsung said looking slightly upward. "The Emperor has requested your participation in the fifth round of the tournament, which begins tomorrow."

Standing up from her throne, Sheeva stretched her upper arms up a bit. "It's about time," she answered. "I've waited since day one for this moment!"

"Yes," Shang Tsung said as he slowly paced himself around the large room, which was considered Sheeva's Lair. He slightly looked around the room. Most of the food that had been around were long eaten and the brightly lit candles were halfway down from finally burning out.

"The Emperor believes that we are at the crucial moment of the tournament," the sorcerer continued. "With less and less fighters participating, those who remain are clearly the strongerst. Unfortunately, Ivy, Viper, and Havik are the only ones allied with us who are still in the tournament. With you in the tournament now, we have a much better chance at retaining Chishio No Me."

"Let's not forget mine and the Emperor's deal," Sheeva began to remind him. "I get a share in that medallion when I emerge victorious in the tournament."

"Yes, he has not forgotten. He explained that to me again just before I left to meet with you." He then stopped pacing and looked at the Shokan woman. "Now to let you in on a couple of secrets about your upcoming match. It's scheduled in two days in the Underground Lair. Would you like information on your opponent?"

"I'd rather be surprised," Sheeva answered. "For one thing, I bet they'll be quite surprised when they see me." A grin came over her face. "So that way, we'll both be surprised when we see each other."

Shang Tsung sighed a bit, not expecting that sort of answer. "Very well then. One other thing before I take my leave. The Emperor would like to meet with you later this evening in his lair after dinner hours in the main palace."

"Tell him I'll be there."

Shang Tsung nodded before taking his leave from the lair. When she was sure he was out of earshot, a smirk came over Sheeva's lips.

"The time has finally come… soon the medallion will be rightfully mine and our Shokan race will be more powerful than ever before."

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

Sitting at the lit campfire, Jin Kazama placed his hands just a foot near the fire, feeling it's warmth. Wearing his blue and white jacket, he had it's hood over his head only because he liked having it over his head. The air was descent for right now, but he knew that it would be much cooler than this by nightfall.

_And to think that it's the beginning of summer back in Japan,_ he thought.

"Jin?" he heard a female voice call out. Jin turned his head, his hood falling off as he did. It turned out to be a good thing as it gave him a better look at who was coming over to him. Upon seeing the person, he recognized Cammy. She wore the long braided pigtails she always wore, but this time she wore a pair of jeans with black and white basketball shoes and a dark green long-sleeved shirt.

"Hey there," Cammy said as she sat next to him. She pulled out a brown bag and opened it up. "Are you hungry?"

"Sort of," Jin replied. "I was thinking about going down to the main palace in about an hour."

"Don't worry about it," Cammy replied with a smile. "I made some sandwiches today for my crew and I thought you'd be hungry so I made an extra for you. I hope you like ham and Swiss." She then took out a bag which contained the sandwich on white bread.

Jin smirked a little. "Thanks for the thought."

"Don't mention it," Cammy said as she handed the bag to him. "Besides, it does save a trip to the palace, right?"

"Yeah it does," Jin answered as he took the sandwich in his hands. He opened up the bag before taking the sandwich out. Then he bit into it, taking a moment to chew before swallowing. "Not bad."

"Oh good," Cammy said. Then for a moment, silence fell between the two of them, neither of them sure of what to say next. Cammy decided to at least let Jin finish most of his sandwich, watching the campfire in front of them in the meantime. As she did, she didn't realize that she had spaced out a bit, time slipping by a little quicker than she thought when Jin spoke.

"Thanks for the sandwich again," he said.

"Oh," Cammy said a bit startled. She blinked a couple of times before turning her head to him. "I'm glad you like it." She then looked back at the fire. "So… wow, you're still in the tournament, aren't you?"

"Yes I am," Jin answered. "I should get my match notice tomorrow."

"Who do you think you'll go up against this time?"

Jin shrugged. "Not a clue. However, I did notice a pattern during my meditation this morning. In all four matches I've been in thus far, they have all been men. Everyone else has fought at least one person with a different gender, unless they lost the first round of course. It was some guy who's name I can't remember, Guile, Nightwolf… and another guy who's name I can't remember."

"Uh oh," Cammy said with a grin. "Hopefully I don't jinx you in the next round, but something tells me it'll all end when you have your match with a woman."

"Ha ha," Jin laughed. "We'll have to see."

The cool wind seemed to pick up at that moment and the temperature seemed to also drop a bit. This forced a chill up Cammy's spine and she could feel the goosebumps developing on her arms. Taking both her hands, she began brushing her arms with them.

"It got cold all of a sudden," she said. "I should've brought my jacket."

It was then that they heard footsteps behind them, making them turning around to see who was coming. They both recognized Yin, who seemed to have a couple of cooking equipment with her.

"Starting up lunch today?" Cammy asked her.

Yin set the stuff down on the ground. "Yup. I'm going to be making some teriyaki chicken and noodles, under the request of a couple of people who are in the mood. You guys want any?"

"We just ate, but thank you," Jin replied as he stood up along with Cammy.

Yin smiled. "All right, but you don't know what you're missing."

"Don't worry," Cammy said. "You're a good cook, so we know we'll be missing out. Let us know when you're cooking a meal again."

"Hopefully I remember," Yin said laughing a bit.

Then Cammy and Jin began walking away from the campfire to give Yin some room to make her lunch. An idea came to Jin and he looked at Cammy.

"Say," he began. "It seems like a peaceful afternoon. Mind going for a walk?"

Cammy smiled. "Sure. Let me just get my jacket-"

"Here," Jin cut in as he unzipped his jacket. "I'm already wearing a thick sweater underneath so I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Cammy asked.

Jin took the jacket off of him completely and handed it over to Cammy. "I insist."

Cammy slowly took the jacket in her hand and placed it over her before zipping it up. The jacket was really big on her, but she didn't mind. She then looked over at Jin, who was wearing a black long-sleeved sweater with a low V-neck cut. The V-neck exposed a little part of his upper chest. Chills went up Cammy's spine and this time she knew that it wasn't because it was cold...

Meanwhile back at the campfire, Yin had just finished setting up the equipment. Just as she was getting the food ready, she heard footsteps coming towards her, causing her to sigh a bit.

_That better not be Yun asking me if the food is ready!_ she growled in her mind. She quickly turned her head, completely expecting Yun to be standing there. However, it turned out that it wasn't Yun, but rather Chun Li's Interpol partner, Lei Wulong.

"Hey Yin," Lei said to her. "Starting up lunch?"

Despite her surprise, Yin managed to smile. "Yeah, I'm making chicken teriyaki with noodles. Do you want me to make you a plate?"

"Well I already ate but thank you anyway," Lei replied. "However, I actually came here because I was hoping you could do me a small favor… and I guarantee you that it won't pry you away from what you are doing now."

Yin raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. "And that would be?"

"…Could you teach me how to cook?"

Yin looked at him, not expecting him to ask her that. "You want me to teach you to cook?"

Lei nodded as he kneeled down next to the younger woman. "Yes… you see, I kind of told Chun Li that I was going to make dinner for her tonight-"

"No need to explain!" Yin cut in. "You want to _wow!_ her, but you realize that the way you want to _wow!_ her will turn into disaster!"

Lei blinked a couple of times. "…Yeah, that's about it."

"Well, normally I'd say, 'maybe another time,' but since Chun Li is considered family to me, I'll help you. However, I must warn you that learning to cook doesn't happen overnight. I've been learning to cook since I was seven all thanks to my Aunt."

"Well, um, that's good to know," Lei said.

Yin looked around a bit before clapping her hand and rubbing a bit. "All right, let's get started! Now obviously in this case, we'll be using a frying pan over a campfire for this, thanks to this lovely steel stand. Once the frying pan is ready, just wait three minutes so that we can give it time to heat up a bit since we're not using a standard stove."

"All right, that sounds easy so far," Lei said.

"Great," Yin replied as she picked up a bag of chicken. "The good thing is that I had this on the stand for two minutes before you came here so now we can place all the chicken on the pan." She then slowly turned the bag upside down, letting all the chicken fall into the pan with small sizzles being heard. "Now of course, this is raw chicken so you need to give it time to cook. Since they're already chopped up, we'll give it about seven minutes."

"Ah I see," Lei said. "One question and I bet everyone in the cave wants to know too…where do you get all this food?"

Yin smiled in reply. "This will be between you and me but… I made a deal with the main chef at the palace during our first week here. What I did was cook him some curry chicken and he loved it so much that he said he would provide me with food to cook, so long that I make him curry chicken every three days."

"That explains everything," Lei said.

"Yeah," Yin sighed. "But by the time we go back to Earthrealm, I'm going to be sick of curry chicken for about three years."

Lei laughed a little. "I can only imagine."

For the next several minutes, Yin showed Lei how to move the chicken around in the pan with a spatula so that the chicken would cook more. She even let Lei take a turn moving the chicken around.

"And don't worry about going slow," Yin said. "Just make sure you don't burn the food. Now to check to see if the chicken's fully cook. You want to cut the biggest piece. If it's white, that means it's fully cooked. If it's pink, then it need a few more minutes of cooking.

Lei nodded as he cut a piece of chicken with a spatula and saw that the inside was all white. "Now what?"

"My favorite part," Yin said taking a large bottle of teriyaki sauce in her hand and opened the top. "Just pour some teriyaki sauce into the pan until I tell you to stop."

"All right," Lei said as he took the bottom. He brought the bottle above the pan before tipping it, letting the contents out and into the pan. The pan sizzled even more and bit of the sauce began jumping out in the air.

"Okay Lei you can-" Yin began to say.

Suddenly, one bit of the sauce hit Lei's hand and felt as though a heated razor blade sliced on his skin. "OWE!" he called out dropping the bottle he was holding. The bottle fell into the pan, but because of the sudden movement, more teriyaki sauce dripped out of it.

"Oh no!" Yin cried out. "Now there's too much sauce in the chicken!"

"I'm so sorry!" Lei said a bit frantically, waving his hands. As he waved his hands, however, his elbow knocked the handle of the pan, causing it to tip over off the stand and landing upside down on the ground. All of the sauce and chicken either landed on the ground or in the fire causing them to burn to a crisp.

"NO!" Yin cried out. "Now lunch is completely ruined! How am I going to explain this one to the chef!"

"I'm really sorry Yin!" Lei cried out. "If you want, I can come with you and explain everything to the chef."

Yin sighed a bit, realizing that Lei felt bad for what he just did. "It's okay. I'm just going to-"

"Say," a voice suddenly called out. Yin and Lei turned around and saw Yun standing there with a goofy grin on his face. "I was going to ask if lunch was ready, but I guess I spoke too soon."

Yin fumed a bit as she and Lei stood up. Lei brushed himself off a bit and sighed. "Well, I failed that one. Thanks for trying anyway Yin. Do you want me to help you clean up?"

"It's fine," Yin replied. She then glared at her brother. "I already got help anyway."

"All right, but if you need anymore help just let me know." Then Lei walked away.

Yin huffed a little as she walked over to Yun who's eyes were a bit widened. "Hey, why do I have to clean up?"

"Because that was a bad time to say something like that!" Yin called out a bit frustrated. "Poor Lei was trying to cook and he feels like a failure now! I really should kick you for that!"

"It's not my fault!" Yun yelled. "And I dare you to try and kick me!"

In reply, Yin quickly kicked Yun in the shin, something Yun didn't actually expect his sister to do. "Owe…" he moaned rubbing his shin.

"You so deserved it," she said.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Walking himself into a large room, Noob Saibot looked on at a large machine that stood in the other end of the room which Sektor was already standing next to. It was a bit bigger than the last machine that was built, this time containing two pods rather than one.

"Is the machine finally complete?" Noob asked.

"Yes it's finally done," Sektor replied.

"Excellent. Exactly how does this machine work?"

Sektor turned around as he began to activate the machine. "It's quite simple. We each go in our own pod and this machine will take care of it from here."

Noob nodded after the explanation. He went into one of the open pods, lying himself slightly back before close the door tightly. Sektor pressed a couple of more buttons before a humming noise was heard. Then quickly, he went into the other pod and closed the door.

The humming noise became louder and louder as seconds passed. Soon it became nearly a deafening sound and electricity began to surround the two pods. Neither one of them was sure how long this lasted before the electricity slowly stopped and the humming noise went down. Soon, all was quiet.

Sektor reached for the pod's door and opened it with Noob following just afterwards. The two of them stepped out of the pod, taking a few steps forward before looking at each other.

"There's only one step left," Sektor said to him. "Jump towards me."

Noob nodded. He leaned himself back a bit before taking a leap towards Sektor. When he was two feet away, his body turned into black liquid and quickly sucked itself into Sektor. The cyborg body then completely blackened, almost looking like a shadow.

After a few seconds, the shadow disappeared. Though the body mostly looked like Sektor's, there were some new additions to the cyborg body. A black aura surrounded the body and the Brotherhood of Shadows logo was embedded into the back. A majority of the wirings were gone along with Sektor's dreadlocks. What stood out the most was the fact that the eyes were now a glowing white.

"In this form, we shall call ourselves Noob-Sektor," the new body spoke. "We now have the ability to fuse and un-fuse at our own will thanks to this new machine. I can already feel the new immense power that has been combined."

Then, the body was surrounded by the black shadow again and the black liquid emerged, forming itself back to Noob's body. When the shadow disappeared, Sektor's body was back to normal.

A sadistic laugh escaped Noob. "Now we are more powerful than ever before. No one can stop us now!"

~~~

**Forest Area**

Princess Kitana continued following Siegfried through the forest area, keeping herself as far away as possible from him. Even so, she knew that some time had passed since she began following him here, but for once she didn't care. She would rather explain everything to Jade and her mother later.

Back at the main palace, Siegfried had been in a rush to leave without any explanation. Ever since Kitana met him, that has always been the routine. She did know some things about him, but to her she felt as though she hardly knew him. She only wished that he would explain why he always ran away like this.

Kitana wasn't sure how far she had gone before she was able to see Siegfried again. Much to her relief, he stopped in a small clearing surrounded by the tall trees. She hid behind one of the trees a few rows back so that he didn't see her. For a moment, she wondered if she should approach him.

It was then that Siegfried fell to his knees. His back was facing Kitana so she wasn't able to see his face. She did notice, however, that his right arm was raised to his eye level.

_What is he doing?_ she wondered.

Suddenly, she began to hear grunts coming from him. Kitana looked on feeling frozen where she stood. Then her eyes widened more upon seeing blue electricity coming from the sky and seeping itself into Siegfried's arm, causing him to grunt even louder. Kitana was about to step forward and call his name but, unknown to her, she was about to discover exactly why he was always running away from her.

Siegfried's body seemed to burst into flames, causing Kitana to jump a bit in surprise. This time, the young man was screaming. Then, the blue electricity that was surrounding his right arm began to cover his arm, which soon formed into a heavy blue armor with gold trims and a red cape developed and stuck out from his new helmet. The flames that had surrounded his body seemed to have already went out at that point.

The screaming stopped then as Siegfried reached up his right hand, which looked monstrously deformed and a dark brown color. He then spoke in a demonic-like voice;

"Souls… must have more souls!"

Fear came over Kitana at that point. Now she fully understood why Siegfried ran off, why he didn't want to tell her anything about it. He was doing it to protect her from this monster. She felt like a fool now for following him to begin with.

Kitana then realized that this new monster was hungry for souls. If he saw her, he was sure to devour hers. She took a couple of steps backwards before turning the other direction and began running for her life, obviously the only thing she could do at this point. As she ran, she could still feel the dark energy behind her. She didn't dare to look behind her and could only hope that the monster wasn't anywhere near her at this point.

The Princess of Edenia continued running through the forest and for a second, she had thought that she got herself lost. However, she soon found herself in a clearing with the main palace just another half a mile from her. She didn't stop once, not until she reached the stoned ground that surrounded the palace. When she did, she began to pace herself to the main doors, up the stairs to the top floor, and soon reached her room.

Quickly, Kitana opened the door, jumped into her room, then closed the door behind her, finally given the chance to completely catch her breath. She looked up and was a bit surprised to see Sindel and Jade standing nearby looking at her. A pile of clothes laid before them, the both of them obviously doing laundry.

"Where have you been?" Jade asked her almost right away.

Kitana frantically tried to talk while catching her breath. "Mother… Jade… Siegfried-"

"Calm down dear," Sindel said as she walked over to her daughter then placed a hand over her face. "Your face is flushed! Go sit on the bed while I fetch some water in the other room."

Kitana nodded, agreeing that it was the best thing to do at the moment. She walked herself over the bed and sat down. Sindel went to the other room to get her water while Jade walked over to her friend and sat next to her.

"You must've done quite a run," Jade said to her.

Within another minute, Kitana was finally able to catch her breath. By then, Sindel came back with a cup of cold water in her hand. Kitana took the water and drank nearly half the cup.

"Don't drink too fast, you'll get hiccups," Sindel suggested. "Now, tell us what happened."

From there, Kitana told them everything that happened, from the moment she met up with Siegfried at the dining quarters during breakfast hours, to the moment she saw him transform into the blue-armored demon.

"…and I heard him speak," Kitana continued. "His voice completely changed. It nearly sounded as though he was the ruler of the Netherealm. He said something about needing more souls…"

Jade stared at the Princess in disbelief as Sindel jaw dropped in surprise, covering her mouth in the process. The Queen then managed to regain herself before sitting down on the other side of her daughter.

"I'm so surprised by this," she said. "He seems like such a nice young man."

"He could be being controlled for all we know," Jade replied. "After all, he did tell Kitana that he didn't want to put her in danger."

Sindel nodded. "That's true." She then looked at Kitana and Jade seriously. "Whatever the case, it's best that the three of us keep ourselves away from him. I'm sorry to say, but especially since he wants to keep us from danger… cutting all contact with him is the best thing we can do…"

Jade nodded in agreement. However, a sad look came over Kitana's eyes as she looked down slightly to the ground. All she wanted was to get to know more of the handsome young man from Keisei. Now with this, she would no longer be able to do so.

_Why does it have to be like this…_

~~~

**Forest, Near Cave Grounds**

Cammy looked on at her surroundings as she and Jin continued walking along the trail. Some of the leaves on the trees were falling off the branches, slowly twirling a bit as they made their way to the ground. A breeze came by and she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the blue and white oversized blazer jacket that belonged to Jin.

"I remember days like this when I was a child," Jin said, breaking the silence between then. Cammy didn't turn her head to him, but she listened to what he said as she continued looking at her surroundings. "I grew up living in the forest. I always find areas like this peaceful. I can't ever imagine living anywhere else."

A small smirk came over Cammy. "Ever since I was seventeen, I've been living with Colonel Guile, who was part of a program that protected victims of Shadaloo. Wagner was already living with him for a year by then. Along with Guile's wife and daughter, they became family to me. Even though I'm far from them now, since joining Delta Red in England, we still keep in contact with each other." She then smiled. "So you wouldn't believe my surprise when I found out Guile and Wagner were going to be in this tournament."

"So… is it because of Guile's influence that Wagner prefers to be called by his last name?" Jin asked curiously.

Cammy laughed. "I sometimes like to think that. Either way, that's why he introduced himself to me at the airport that morning. Maybe I should ask him about that. But that doesn't matter since I call him by his first name now… which by the way, he only lets people close to him call him Scott."

Jin laughed a little. "I see now. Well… my whole life, well, the first fifteen years of it at least, it had always been me and my mother. On her side of the family, my grandparents had already passed on. She also had an older brother, who she hadn't seen since before I was born. Not sure what happened to him. Sadly, my mother passed away just after my fifteenth birthday. I've… sort of been on my own since."

"What about your father?" Cammy asked.

Jin was silent for a moment as he thought about the now-deceased Kazuya Mishima. Aside from trying to suck him dry of his powers and kill him off afterwards during the King of Iron Fist Tournament, what else had the man done for him?

"I never knew my father," Jin half lied. "I never bothered to look for him, but something tells me that it may be for the best."

"I see," Cammy said. She then looked up into the sky and noted that the sun was just beginning to set. 'Have we been walking for that long?' she asked herself a bit surprised. She then turned his head to him. "Say, we should get back to the cave grounds before-"

Unknown to Cammy, however, she ended up in the path of a large rock. The young blonde never saw the rock and ended up tripping over it, letting out a small yelp in the process. Jin saw her beginning to fall and tried to catch her, but Cammy ended up grabbing him and she took him down with her. Both of them landing on the ground with Cammy on her side and Jin right on top of her!

Cammy managed to shift herself so that she was lying on her back. Once she did, she realized that Jin was facing her. The both of them looked at each other, feeling a bit awkward at that moment.

"Um, sorry," Jin said. "I didn't mean-"

"It's all right," Cammy assured him. "I was the one who pulled you down…"

As she was talking, Cammy suddenly found herself gazing into Jin's eyes, which were a light brown color. His bangs, which fell over just near his eyes seemed to bring them out more and Cammy wondered why she didn't notice this before. By now, she had already forgotten about her newest addition to her embarrassing moments with Jin.

Jin also found himself gazing into Cammy's eyes as well. They were a deep blue. Having been in Japan most of his life, this was an eye color he rarely saw.

Then, to his surprise, Cammy ended up leaning her head upward and softly pressed her lips against his. Her eyes had already closed, but Jin had his wide open for a moment. Thoughts passed his mind, mainly the fact that he possessed the devil gene. However, another part of him fought with him.

_This would put her in more danger,_ he thought. _Yet, I can't help but…_

Soon, Jin slowly closed his eyes and returned the kiss, causing Cammy to softly moan as she wrapped both of her arms around him. Jin placed his hands on both sides of her face as the they both deepened the kiss. They let themselves get lost in their passion for just a minute as they parted their lips and let their tongues slowly dance together. Cammy brushed one hand slowly up and down Jin's back as he began to softly caress the side of her face which contained her scar.

Neither one of them were sure how long their kiss lasted before they pulled away. They opened their eyes, finding themselves looking at each other again, neither one of them helping their smile.

"We should get back before it gets dark," Jin suggested as he got himself back on his feet, helping Cammy up in the process.

Cammy laughed a little. "Hey, I was the one who suggested that to begin with."

"I know," Jin said as he placed an arm around her shoulders. "But I thought it'd be nice to remind you."

Cammy smiled as she put her arm around his waist. "Well, thank you."

Jin nodded as he looked ahead. He thought about the passion they just shared for a moment. He still worried about his devil gene… yet, for some reason, this moment somehow felt right to him.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

"I so failed this…" Lei said to himself.

He looked on at the campfire, which contained a stand and a frying pan. Using chicken he got from Yin, he tried to cook some, hoping that maybe if he tried again, he would be better than he was this passed afternoon when Yin tried to teach him to cook. However, he ended up failing when he realized that he overcooked the chicken, causing black burn marks to appear on the outside.

Lei briefly looked at his watch. It was now seven o'clock on the dot, the exact time he told Chun Li to meet up with him. "Great, what am I-"

"Hey Lei," he heard a female voice say right next to him.

Lei jumped a bit as he turned his head to the right. Chun Li was already sitting next to him. He had been in such a mind fray that he didn't even hear her sitting next to him.

"Um, hey Chun," Lei replied. "Um… hey listen…"

Then, Chun Li pulled up a paper bag that she had with her and opened it up. "Hey, don't sweat… Yin told me everything so I brought food over from the palace." She then took out some food that was wrapped up in a white cloth napkin.

Lei sighed a bit. "In a way, that brings a lot of relief since I know now that you won't go hungry. However, I do feel bad now, especially since I sort of lied…"

Chun Li smiled. "Hey… don't worry about it. Even if Yin didn't say anything, I kind of figured it out the moment you offered to make dinner this morning."

Lei looked at her in a bit of surprise. "Really?"

Chun Li nodded. "Just from a little tidbit I remember from last year… you tried cooking for Detective Fang Qing to impress her. Turned out to be a disaster because you put too much hot sauce in the already-burnt beef and she then she ended up in the hospital because she was allergic to that hot sauce."

Lei rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Um, wow I almost forgot about that… you know, sometimes I think that's the reason why she transferred to the Taiwan Division of Interpol."

Chun Li laughed. "No no, it was because she wanted to be closer to her family. But hey, you know… you gave it your best. In the end, it's the thought that counts."

Lei laughed nervously. "Unless you end up in the hospital."

Chun Li placed a hand on his shoulder. "The bright side is, she lived and you learned a valuable lesson."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Lei then noticed a piece of a leaf in Chun Li's hair. He reached his hand over and managed to pull it out. "You had this in your hair," he said.

Chun Li saw the leaf and laughed a little. "Don't you hate that?"

Lei nodded as a small smile appeared on his face. "This is sort of off topic but… you have a nice laugh."

"Really?" Chun Li asked. "I always hated my laugh. I sound like a donkey sometimes."

"Not at all," Lei assured her. "At least you don't snort… like me."

This made Chun Li laugh even more, though she didn't mean to. "Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."

"That's all right," Lei replied. Then a thought came to him and he decided to ask Chun Li a risky question. "Um… can I sort of ask you for something?"

"Shoot."

Lei took a quiet deep breath, hoping that Chun Li didn't act weird around him afterward. "Can I kiss you?"

Chun Li looked at him in a bit of surprise, not expecting this sort of question. She then realized what he said and she smiled. "Of course you can kiss me… everyone has the ability to kiss."

Lei laughed a little, realizing what she meant. "All right all right… then… may I kiss you?"

Once he corrected himself, Chun Li's smile seemed to turn into a warm one as she brought herself closer to him. "Do you have a crush on me, Mr. Wulong?"

Lei smiled. "You could say so."

Chun Li chuckled a little. "Teaser. Well in that case…yes you may."

_Yes!_ Lei called out in his mind. _I'm much better at this than cooking any day!_

Then, Lei slowly leaned forward before lightly pressing his lips against Chun Li's, who immediately returned the kiss. Lei was about to pull away, but then Chun Li leaned herself forward, deepening the kiss a bit more, much to Lei's surprise. He let himself sink into the kiss, slowly opening and closing their mouths in a slow rhythm.

Both of them knew the kiss didn't take that long before two people behind them cried out, "Awwwwww!"

Lei and Chun Li pulled away from their kiss and looked behind them, laying their eyes on both Yun and Yin. Both of them had goofy grins on their faces, having witnessing the two of them kissing.

Chun Li spat her tongue at them before saying, "You two get going before I make you do push-ups and whatever other activities I may make you do."

"Yes Miss Chun Li," the both of them said before running off.

Lei laughed a bit as he put an arm around Chun Li's shoulders. "And for sure I thought you were going to hate me after this."

"Awe," Chun Li answered. "Lei, you're a very likeable guy. Any girl would be lucky to have you. I sure am."

Lei smiled. "In that case, I'm glad it all worked out."

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

The Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn sat in his throne as he looked over at Quan Chi, who stood in front of him. Standing next to Quan Chi was a tall man, dressed in an orange shirt with a white kanji in front of it, blue jeans, and a heavy blue helmet.

"My lord," Quan Chi said. "This is Sodom, one of the men you had requested."

Shao Kahn nodded. "Very good Quan Chi. You may take your leave now. I would like to speak with Sodom alone."

Quan Chi nodded as he bowed to him before leaving the throne room, closing the large door behind him. Once the door closed, Shao Kahn stood himself up as he looked down at his new recruit.

"You are here because I feel that you will benefit greatly to our developing army. Things will be slow for a bit, at least until the end of the tournament. For now however, you will be working on any assignments I give you. Tonight, one of my guards will give you the tour. He should be here in a moment."

" _Watashi wa anata ni sābisu o teikyō suru koto o tanoshimini shite._ (I look forward to serving you)," Sodom said.

"Good," Shao Kahn replied, his magical abilities helping him understand the new recruit's language. "Now… is it true that you have the desire to seek out a man named Guy Hinato?"

Sodom nodded. " _Hai, soreha hontōdesu._ (Yes, it is true)."

"I see," Shao Kahn said, now believing what Quan Chi had said to him previously. "It's quite a coincidence. You see, we too have the desire to search for Guy. We still want him to be a part of our army as well." Then, an idea came to the Emperor. "It would seem that I have your very first assignment, which you will begin tomorrow."

Sodom stood still as he awaited for his assignment.

"…You shall find Guy and bring him back here alive."


	46. Chapter Forty-Five

**Forest, Early Morning Hours**

The old man Song was walking through the forest just as the sun was rising for the day. He kept silent as he was on his way to the tournament grounds for the day, having a match at the Indoor Arena. He had only won the fourth round of the tournament two days ago and now he was to attend the fifth round.

Unknown to Song, however, someone was following him. The sorcerer Quan Chi had spotted him from his room through the window. The sorcerer managed to teleport himself outside using sorcery and got himself outside just far enough so that he could get a good eye view of the old man. He then followed him for a while through the forest, knowing that he was on his way to the tournament grounds.

_Perhaps before his arrival,_ Quan Chi thought. _I should 'introduce' myself to the old fool._

Ever since Quan Chi saw him two nights ago, he figured out the truth about Song. He wasn't sure why he didn't see it before since it was quite obvious, but it didn't matter now. He planned to confront Song today.

Quan Chi waited for the right moment to show himself to Song. It wasn't until they were halfway through the forest when Quan Chi jumped in front of the old man. Song seemed a bit startled at first, since he didn't expect anyone to be around. Just as quickly, he managed to regain his composure and stared at the sorcerer.

"Who the hell are you?" the old man barked.

A small sadistic chuckle escaped Quan Chi. "I guess Shang Tsung hasn't mentioned you to me since our alliance, but he had mentioned you to me in more than one occasion. I'll admit, since we've never been formally introduced, that I've been quite curious about you."

Song seemed calm as he spoke. "Is that so? Well the reason you and I haven't met is-"

"Is because one person can't be in two places at once," Quan Chi cut in with a smirk.

For a slight second, Quan Chi saw that Song seemed a bit startled, but almost soon after, he collected himself and his expression hinted anger. "What are you talking about?"

"I watched your match against Sagat two night ago," Quan Chi admitted. "Once I saw your skills, I just had to follow you, just to see where you would go. However, once I saw you _shape shift,_ I began to understand why we were never introduced… because we already know each other."

Song sighed, realizing that he could no longer hide his true self. Surrounding himself by a green aura, Song's body shape shifted. A smirk came over Quan Chi as the changing body soon turned into a recognizable one.

"That's quite clever of you," Shang Tsung said once the transformation was completed. "I knew of all people that you'd be the one to discover the truth about Song first."

Quan Chi laughed evilly. "Now for the fun part… what exactly was your plan? Perhaps taking the medallion under everyone's noses for yourself? Our plans haven't even been completed and already you are a traitor."

"That was never my plan!" Shang Tsung argued. "The plan was to give you and I a much better chance at getting the medallion!"

"A plan in which you never informed me about," Quan Chi mentioned. "Because of this, I've come to suspect that you are out to betray all of us. Not only that, but you have also violated a tournament rule. The host of the tournament was not to participate. It'll be quite fun when I report this to the Emperor."

From there, Shang Tsung knew that he was in trouble. He almost forgot that, if he got caught and Shao Kahn knew about it, the Emperor could have his head for it.

"However," Quan Chi continued. "I'll make you a deal. If you forfeit the tournament as Song from this moment on, I won't report it to Shao Kahn… and that's only if you do me a favor."

"You are ruining a good plan," Shang Tsung reminded him. "If it means that Shao Kahn doesn't find out the truth, then so be it. I'll forfeit the tournament. What's the deal on your part?"

"I haven't decided just yet," Quan Chi said. "But I will let you know before Round Six is over."

It was then that the both of them heard someone not too far from them. The two sorcerers turned their heads and recognized Vega, one of the new bodyguards for Shao Kahn. Through his porcelain mask, Vega spoke.

"Good you are here Shang Tsung," Vega said. "I wanted to speak to you before the matches of the day get underway."

Shang Tsung and Quan Chi stared at each other for a moment before Quan Chi spoke. "Remember, I'll get back to you on it." And with that, using sorcery, he teleported away.

Shang Tsung turned his attention to Vega. "What can I do for you?" he asked without much enthusiasm.

"Well," Vega answered. "I know that a couple of participants who are serving Shao Kahn had the chance to find out who their participants are before their match. My dear Viper has her match this morning in the indoor arena and I would like to know who her opponent is."

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to do better than that. I don't just give away that sort of information to just anyone."

"Perhaps I can make you an offer," Vega said. He thought through what he can do to get the information from him. Then, a sadistic idea came to him.

"What kind of offer?" Shang Tsung asked curiously.

A grin came over Vega. "Who can resist the beauty of a woman? Quite recently, I met this lovely young woman on the main palace grounds. Perhaps I can bring her to you within the next few days."

It was quite a coincidence for Vega to say that, especially since he didn't know very much about the sorcerer. Shang Tsung was debating if he should add a few more young women to his already-large collection of concubines at his own palace.

"That's not too bad of an offer," Shang Tsung said. "Schedule a meeting with her and let me know the information. I'll take a look at her and see if she's my taste. In the meantime…" He then whispered the name of Viper's opponent in Vega's ear.

"Excellent," Vega said delighted.

"Just one more thing," Shang Tsung said. "What is the girl's name?"

"If I remember correctly, her name is Xianghua."

~~~

**Cave**

While the cave was quiet, Li Mei approached one of the closed velvet curtains, shifted herself so she can hear anything. A smile came over her face upon hearing a slight rustle from behind the curtain.

"Knock, knock!" she called out.

"Come in," a female voice replied.

Li Mei walked in and saw Alex sitting on her bed, which was made, as she placed some clothes in a black bag. Alex wore her brown hair in a low ponytail and also wore a dark blue short-sleeved shirt and a pair of beige khakis.

"Hey Li Mei," Alex said as she looked up at her.

Li Mei walked further into the room and sat next to Alex. "I see that you're finally out of bed."

"Since last night," Alex replied. "I sadly admit that I had to escape here after everyone bombarded my room to see if I was all right."

Li Mei gasped a little. "You weren't alone were you?"

Alex laughed a little. "No no, I was with Sonya. We actually went to the springs… and let me tell you, the moment I was in the water, it felt like a thousand knives were sticking into my back… but I got used to it after fifteen minutes."

"Ouch," Li Mei replied. She then reached her arms over to Alex and gave her a hug. "Well I know you heard it a million times, but I'll say it again… I'm so glad you're all right! I mean, when Raiden and Rose told us what happened, I was so worried. And you know what… I'm going to make sure that nothing bad like that happens to you, or anyone for that matter, again."

Alex smiled a little as she returned the hug. "Thanks Li Mei, but don't worry, I'm fine now. I've being taken good care of by my other friends too."

Li Mei pulled back. "Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Yes I did. Sonya gave me some scrambled eggs and home fries that she retrieved from the palace."

"Sounds yummy," Li Mei replied.

Then Alex looked at her seriously. "Hey… how have you been? I mean, I know things have been a bit rough the last couple of weeks…"

"I know," Li Mei said. "But I'm glad to say that things are getting better for me. I take it one day at a time."

"That's good to hear," Alex replied. "Just remember… if you ever want to talk about what happened, let me know. I won't force it out of you."

"Maybe." Then an idea came to Li Mei. "Hey, since no one is here, do you want to go to the hot springs with me?"

Alex shrugged a little. "Why not? I need the exercise anyway. I seriously should try to do more physical activities some time tonight or tomorrow."

"Great," Li Mei said. "Just remember… once we're off the cave grounds, we are not to separate from each other."

"Right," Alex agreed. "Just let me get my stuff and I'll meet you by the campfire."

"See you then," Li Mei said. She then got up and left the room. Alex took a piece of paper and pen and left a quick note for Sonya (since Sonya started becoming paranoid about everyone being missing now). She then got her towel before leaving the room.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

While waiting for her match to begin, Rose watched the other matches taking place in front of her. Although she was standing a few rows back, she was still able to see the action without anyone blocking her view.

She had only been here for an hour, but she had a good feeling that her match would be coming up soon. She didn't get much sleep during the night and she was looking forward to a well-deserved nap.

_I just hope Raiden doesn't bother me during my nap,_ Rose thought with a small sigh.

Soon, the current match ended and the two fighters cleared out. A few seconds passed before the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament announced the first fighter for the next match.

"Viper!" he called out.

Rose managed to get a glimpse of the young blonde woman dressed in an all-green attire (save for the black military boots) entering the ring. Upon seeing her, an uneasy feeling came over Rose. She couldn't understand why this feeling came over to her, but a part of her believed that it had to do with Viper.

Before she could ponder more about it however, she suddenly found herself being grabbed by the shoulders and turned about ninety degrees to her left. Before her vision could focus, the person who grabbed her pressed their lips against hers. Rose's eyes were wide opened, but she could only get a glimpse of a lock of dark blonde hair. The kiss was swift before the person quickly pulling away and made a dash for it. Rose turned towards the direction where the person ran off, but whoever gave her the kiss obviously had good speed.

_That was odd,_ she thought.

She slightly licked her lower lips, the taste of it nearly making her gag. Whoever kissed her definitely had bad taste in lip gloss.

"Rose!" the Shadow Priest called out interrupting her thoughts.

Rose quickly shook her head as she realized that she was being called to fight Viper in a match. She took a deep breath before making her way passed the viewers who were in front of her. She then got in the ring and made her way towards the middle of the ring.

Viper stood still as she waited for the match to begin. Since the viewers were out of her way, she was able to feel Viper's energy better… one that was very familiar to her.

_This girl,_ Rose thought. _She has the same energy that Bison's Dolls had when they were under his control. Could it be that…_

She stopped her thoughts then. She knew that, since Shadaloo went down, that only one doll who served under Bison was missing. Rose was convinced that Viper was that one doll.

_It's too bad that I can't free you now,_ Rose thought as she began to get into her fighting stance. _However, I promise that the next time we meet, you will be free from that bastard's control…_

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Viper didn't waste any time as she ran after Rose. Quickly, she jumped forward and attempted an air kick, which Rose managed to block in time. From there, the two women exchanged various moves. Rose found herself mostly on defense, blocking many of Viper's quick maneuvers. When she got the chance, she made her move.

Rose quickly grabbed her yellow scarf and in fast speed she wrapped it around her right arm. “Soul Spiral!” she called out as a white aura came over the scarf and formed into a high speed spiral. She managed to land the move on Viper, forcing her to be pushed back a few feet.

Viper managed to regain herself before running towards Rose again. She managed to pass Rose's defense, performing a double punch before following it with a double kick. Rose managed to block the last kick before following it with a backhand to the face, forcing Viper's head to snap sideways.

Taking another opportunity, Rose whipped out her scarf and aimed it towards Viper's ankles. She managed to wrap her scarf around her left ankle before pulling her towards her. Viper was forced to fly up in the air before Rose released her hold. However, as Viper fell back towards the ground, she managed to catch herself by landing on her hands and performing a backward flip.

Not even a second later, Viper dove forward with both of her hands out and managed to spin her body around a few times. Rose remembered the dolls performing the same move, but only with her legs out instead of their hands.

When Viper was close to her, Rose managed to jump over her. As she jumped, she managed to turn herself around so that she was able to face Viper.

" _Soul Spark!_ " Rose cried out as she shot her scarf out. A ball of energy shot out from the tip of the scarf. It managed to hit Viper, forcing her off course and sliding a few feet across the ground.

Afterward, Rose landing on the ground with both feet. However, upon landing, she suddenly found her legs giving out, forcing herself to fall on her knees.

"What the-" she uttered as she suddenly felt a dizzy sensation coming over her. She couldn't understand why she was suddenly feeling like this. Then it hit her as she remembered the mysterious person who kissed her just before she was called for her match just a few minutes ago.

_I understand now,_ she thought as she remembered the bad lip gloss taste. _The lip gloss contained some sort of spell! Whoever kissed me knows this girl and wants her to win!_

Before she could think anymore, Viper was able to easily approach her and performed a spin kick to Rose's head. The impact was hard enough to force Rose to the ground. Just before losing consciousness, the Shadow Priest announced Viper as the winner of the match.

~~~

**In the not too distant future…**

"And the winner of The Blood Tournament is… Tanya!"

The crowd cheered and applauded as Tanya raised her arms in victory. "Yes!" she cried out excitedly. "I am the winner! I won this tournament! Woo hoo!"

She then noticed her opponent who, ironically, looks like Ivy but with longer hair and was wearing a pink outfit. She was trying to crawl away in defeat, which actually angered Tanya.

"You're ruining my moment!" she yelled. She then raised a foot and kicked her as hard as she could out of the ring, forcing the woman to cry out in sheer pain.

"Now Tanya!" the Shadow Priest said to her. "Shao Kahn will now be entering the ring with your prize… the Chishio No Me medallion!"

With that, the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn entered the ring. In his right hand was Chishio No Me. Upon seeing it, Tanya grew more excited. All the power in the universe was soon going to be in her very own hands.

"Congratulations on your win Tanya," Shao Kahn said to her. "I knew that I could count on you to win the tournament." He then handed the medallion to her.

Tanya looked at it while holding it. She couldn't believe her eyes. 'This is truly happening!' she cried out in her mind.

"With that," Shao Kahn said as he kneeled down to one knee. "I ask your hand in marriage. I want you to be my Empress, to rule by my side. We shall rule Outworld together. Do you accept?"

Tanya smiled excitedly again. "Yes! I do accept!"

From there, the audience chanted. "Tanya! Tanya! Tanya! Tanya!"

As the chants continued, the many voices slowly seemed to changed into one single voice…

"Tanya… Tanya? TANYA!" a female voice screeched.

Tanya became completely started as she rolled to the side and fell off the bed she was in, taking her blanket with her.

"Oof!" she cried out. She then untangled herself from the blanket and looked up. She noticed what was a not-so-happy Ivy standing a few feet from her… much to her dismay.

"Finally, you're up!" Ivy called out. "You overslept again and my boots were supposed to be shined an hour ago!"

Tanya stared at her. "Isn't your match not until tomorrow?"

"Yes," Ivy replied. "But I would like to look presentable today. I've already laid out my boots in the work room. They better be done within thirty minutes." Ivy's eyes then shifted up and down at Tanya. "Has anyone ever told you that you have bad taste in sleepwear?"

Tanya briefly looked down at her attire. It was a one-piece yellow long-sleeved nightgown that fell to her knees and consisted a V-neck around the neck area.

"What the hell is wrong with my sleepwear?" Tanya asked her.

"Oh nothing," Ivy smirked deciding to tease her. "It's just that you have such a pretty face and that nightwear just makes it look unflattering."

"For your information," Tanya said to her. "This belonged to my mother, until she died of course. So if it helps, this outfit does have a meaning to me."

The smirk on Ivy's face disappeared then, realizing how serious Tanya was. "When did she die?" she asked.

Tanya sighed. "When I was a little girl. My father never liked to talk about it."

"I see," Ivy replied. "Do you remember her face?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

Ivy turned her back to her then. "Just curious. But if it will make you happy… at least you knew your mother. I never knew my real mother. I haven't the slightest clue of what she looks like."

Tanya nodded, feeling a bit of sympathy for once. "Did you at least know your father?"

Ivy quickly changed the subject. "Just get those boots shined. I'll give you forty minutes." She then quickly left the room.

Once the door closed, Tanya stood herself up, feeling a bit surprised. Ever since she met Ivy, the Keisei woman showed coldness and only once in a while would she be kind to her. For the first time, Tanya was able to see a different side of Ivy and it was one she didn't expect to see.

~~~

**Main Palace**

"It's too bad Kilik couldn't be here," said Maxi as he and Xianghua were just beginning to leave the dining quarters of the main palace after having some lunch.

A blank look came over Xianghua's face as she spoke. "Um, I forgot… what for again?"

Maxi laughed a little. "You forgot already? Well, as the three of us managed to get ourselves over here, Kilik saw his new 'girlfriend' Jade and said he was going to go talk to her for a minute. However, that 'minute' turned into a nice little picnic in the forest."

If it were possible, steam would be coming out of Xianghua's ears. _When was the last time Kilik and I had a picnic?_ She then looked up at her companion. _Well, at least I have Maxi with me._

After that thought, Xianghua forced herself to let out a hearty laugh. "Oh yeah, now I remember, ha ha."

Maxi looked at her oddly. "Gee Xianghua, that was some laugh."

Xianghua's laugh ceased and a nervous look came over her eyes. "Um, did it really sound fake? Gee, I must have a really bad laugh."

"No no," Maxi replied. "That's not what I meant at all. What I meant was-"

As he was talking, Maxi happened to turn his head towards one of the more narrow hallways of the palace. He managed to see a glimpse of a floating figure in a dark purple robe just disappearing around a corner, causing him to stop in his tracks. It was no doubt that it was one of the many Shadow Priests who lurked around Outworld. However, aside from their dinner during their first night here, he never saw any Shadow Priests lurking around here.

_What is a Shadow Priest doing wandering around the palace?_ he thought as he grew suspicious.

Xianghua had stopped in her tracks when Maxi stopped. She raised an eyebrow once he fell silent, never finishing the sentence he started.

"Um, Maxi?" Xianghua asked with concern. "Is everything okay?"

Maxi blinked a couple of times before turning his head to Xianghua, realizing that she was still there. "Um, yeah," he answered. "Say, do me a favor… I just remembered something and I want to take care of it while it's fresh in my mind. Do you mind waiting for me outside? It won't take long."

Xianghua sighed. "Maxi, do you remember the new cave rule? Don't wander off without a friend out of the cave grounds?"

"Yeah yeah," Maxi replied. "But Xianghua… we're at one of the most crowded places of the tournament grounds. I wouldn't be sending you outside if I that wasn't the case. Just give me ten minutes."

"Oh fine," Xianghua gave in. "But I'll kick you if you take long." She then began heading out the door which wasn't far from them.

Maxi waited until his friend was out the door before he walked through the narrow hall. He headed to the spot where the Shadow Priest was last seen. Maxi had thought that it would lead him to another hallway but it instead lead him to a door which was backed up about five feet from the normal wall lining.

"Just great," Maxi said to himself. "Hopefully this doesn't lead me into a maze."

He reached for the black handle and pulled the door back. He peered inside and saw that it lead to another hallway. Though only lit with few candles, he was able to see that there were a row of doors on either side of the two walls, plus a double door at the end of the hall which Maxi guessed was about ten feet high.

Not only that, but just halfway down the hall he was able to see the Shadow Priest he spotted before.

_Good,_ Maxi thought. _He didn't go too far._

He decided that it was best to wait until the Shadow Priest was three quarters away from the large doors, which didn't take too long. He then slipped himself through the open door and began walking down the door, grateful that his boots were hardly making any noises.

Having been walking in a fast pace, he was about halfway down the hall when the Shadow Priest managed to reach the large doors, which opened by themselves. For a moment as the Shadow Priest entered the room, Maxi got a glimpse of a few people who were in the room. It looked as though there was a meeting going on.

_Wonder what that's all about,_ Maxi wondered.

It was then that he noticed one of the people sitting in the room… actually this person wasn't even human. It was a tall bald figure with brownish-gray skin, pale eyes, and was extremely built. However, he had a disturbing feature and it was one that Maxi immediately recognized… the beating of the being's heart, the organ being on the outside of his chest, quickly reached Maxi's ears.

It was a being Maxi instantly recognized.

"Astaroth," he muttered angrily under his breath. For a brief moment, he thought about the day the monster invaded his ship and killed every one of his crew, only leaving him and Kilik, who was traveling with him that day, as the only survivors.

In rage, Maxi began sprinting forward, taking out his nunchakus in the process. Nothing was going to stop him from getting to the golem.

The tall doors closed by the time Maxi was a few feet from it. Then to his surprise, the door quickly seemed to vanish, only leaving a plain wall behind.

"Wha-" he began to say as he managed to stop himself from crashing into the wall. Quickly, he touched the wall, hoping to somehow activate the door again, but after a while, it was to no avail.

"Damn it!" Maxi cried out as he slammed his fist where the door previously was. For a moment afterward, he gave himself some time to catch his breath and to also calm his nerves. As he did, a thought came to him.

_I thought he was dead… I saw him die in our last encounter!_

~~~

**Unknown Area**

It had been three days since Ermac rescued Paul from the dungeon in Shao Kahn's Fortress. Since then, the two of them had been hiding out deep in the forest. According to Ermac, they were 'very far' from the tournament grounds, but Paul wondered exactly how far they really were.

Mostly the two of them kept silent. With Paul still recovering from his ordeal, Ermac did most of the camp work which including keeping the campfire going and hunting for food.

This morning, Paul had the opportunity to take his first bath in nearly three weeks after he was captured in one of the lakes nearby. He wounds stung like hell, but he didn't care. Once he got used to it, the pain was actually beginning to feel good to him. Aside from shaving his new full beard, he couldn't wait to get his shoulder-length blond hair back to his favorite Mohawk-like style.

Ermac had managed to get clothes for Paul, which came from a nearby village, consisting of a white shirt and black pants. Paul didn't have shoes, but he didn't care since he liked walking around with no shoes on sometimes.

This afternoon was no different. Ermac was currently hunting for food for tonight's dinner. Paul was well enough to at least walk around the camp area so a couple of times, he collected some twigs to keep the campfire going. It was the least he could do for now, so he thought.

At one point, Paul sat cross-legged watching the fire in front of him. Even with all the time he had the last couple of days, only now did his mind begin to think about everything.

Since he was young, he loved the thrill of the fight. As he got older, he was winning more and more fights and things were looking great for him ever since he fought and tied with Kazuya Mishima in a tournament over twenty years ago. Heck, to him, he managed to beat the Fighting God Ogre in another tournament. Even with Ogre turning into True Ogre (hence the tournament continued on after Paul left and it was Jin Kazama who fought and beat True Ogre), Paul believed he was the true winner for months afterward.

However, because of his attitude towards it, things went downhill ever since. Even those who supported him turned their backs on him and soon, the dojo he owned for over a decade went bankrupt. Even with all of this, he still felt that he was the world's greatest fighter. In the last tournament before this one, he was so close to proving it, only to lose to Heihachi's pet bear, Kuma.

With this tournament and all he endured, it has made him realiz his overconfidence. All he wanted was to be the best. The very idea went over his head and now it brought him to this.

_I need to do more with myself than this,_ he thought unsurely.

However, even at forty-nine years old, he still had time ahead of him.

Paul looked down at his arms, noting the countless fresh scars on them. It was strange… in the beginning, he could remember the enduring pain he received during his torture… yet within a couple of days it all became nothing but a blur, only able to note a few things in between tortures including Ermac rescuing him. It was a psychological thing, he knew that. Victims of this kind of brutality find a way to get their minds in another place, almost like an out-of-body experience.

Perhaps it may be better that it was all a blur, he thought.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard someone running over to his direction. Paul turned his head and saw Ermac running towards him.

"Hey buddy," Paul said to him. "What's the rush?"

Quickly, however, Ermac put a hand out and Paul suddenly found himself being pushed down to the ground.

"What the-" Paul began to call out.

"Get down!" Ermac yelled out as he got himself on the ground. Paul was confused for a moment until a red energy ball came whizzing by and passed over them before landing on the ground a few yard away and exploded.

"Holy crap!" Paul yelled out as he scanned the area. "What's going on?"

"One of Shao Kahn's servants found us!" Ermac told him. "His name is Ogre."

Paul raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear that name. _Since when did he work for anyone._ Then he remembered something. _Oh yeah… Shao Kahn has the medallion at the moment…_

It was then that the being Ogre swooped down to the ground, landing on both feet. Ermac stood up, ready to fight him. Then, to his surprise, Paul managed to stand himself up and got into a fighting stance.

"Stay back," Ermac ordered. "You're in no condition to fight yet."

"Don't worry," Paul replied. "I can handle this one… it's the least I can do for helping me."

They were then interrupted when Ogre jumped forward in fast speed, swinging an arm with his hand closed into a fist. Both Ermac and Paul ducked under the attack before trying to strike Ogre with their own punches and kicks.

However, even with two fighting him, Ogre managed to defend himself from the maneuvers, much to Ermac and Paul's dismay.

Making sudden movements in a while, Paul was able to feel shots of pain coursing through his body, but he tried his best to ignore it. Unfortunately, when Ogre had the chance, he concentrated on Paul, performing his own moves before swatting him away like a fly.

Paul found himself flying sideways before hitting a tree head first and rolling to the ground. Because of the impact, Paul unwillingly fell into unconsciousness leaving Ermac to fend for himself on his own.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"Rainbow Mika!" Shang Tsung called out after the end of the last match.

"Great!" Asuka said as she patted Mika on the shoulder. "Hopefully you'll win this one."

"I hope so too," Mika replied. "And with your match tomorrow night, I hope you do the same."

"Good luck," Sakura said.

"Thanks," Mika answered as she got herself into the ring.

Shang Tsung waited for Mika to get in the middle of the ring before announcing her opponent. "Sektor!"

Mika looked around for her opponent and was surprised to see that it was a red cyborg she was about to go up against. Whatever the case, despite her uneasiness, she would have to try her best.

_Besides,_ Mika thought. _I had myself quite a match during the last round._

Mika got herself into a fighting stance before Sektor reached her. He stopped a few feet away and looked at her. "I see that you are ready," he said in his robotic tone as he got into his own fighting stance. "I will have you know... I will show no mercy."

_Well,_ Mika thought with a swallow. _That's not a good way to start this match..._

Then, Shang Tsung called for the match to begin. Sektor immediately covered the distance between them with Mika waiting for him. Quickly, the red cyborg performed various moves in such a speed that Mika was barely able to block his attacks.

At one point, Mika was forced to jump back to give herself a breather. While she did, Sektor shout out his arm and a long line of flames shot out towards her, forcing her to duck down quickly just before the flames hit her.

When the fire ceased, Mika stood up and attempted a flying peach. However, Sektor managed to sink himself into the ground. As Mika began flying over the spot where he just was, Sektor reappeared from the ground as he attempted an uppercut. He managed to land the move, throwing Mika off course and she ended up landing hard on the ground.

_Owe!_ Mika cried out in her mind. _That was worse than when Sakura's projectile hit my rear back in Round Two!_

While she was down on the ground, Sektor bent his back so that his chest was facing upward. A torpedo shot out from his chest and went upward. It then directed itself over Mika before heading back towards the ground.

"AAH!" Mika cried out as she rolled out of the way after noticing the torpedo. She managed to get out of the way in time and the torpedo ended up exploding on the ground upon impact.

Mika quickly got herself back on her feet just as Sektor managed to approach her. He performed punches that seemed to come in different directions for her as she tried to block them.

_Damn it, he's too fast!_ Mika cried out in her mind. _I wonder if I'll be able to at least get through this match without losing consciousness!_

Soon, to her luck, she managed to see an opening and took her chance in perform a round house kick. The kick managed to connect causing Sektor to be pushed back a couple of feet. Then, Mika attempted to get behind him to perform a full nelson. However, Sektor saw the hold coming and managed to elbow Mika in the stomach.

"Oof!" Mika cried out as she tried to ignore the tense pain in her stomach.

As she was keeled over, Sektor attempted a kick, but she was able to duck under it, falling to her knees in the process. Clenching her hand into a fist, Mika made the decision to perform a particular move she called 'desperate.'

"Rainbow Low Blow!" she cried out. Using her fist, she punched Sektor right in his 'personal space' as hard as she could.

However, it would only prove to be a bad move. Mika had hit nothing but metal and sheer pain immediately shot through her hand and up just passed her wrist. Not only that, but the move obviously didn't effect the cyborg since he only stood there looking at Mika.

"Damn it!" Mika cried out. _I think I broke my pinkie!_

Sektor shook his head. "Pathetic," he said.

Quickly, his chest compartment opened and two missiles connected to a thick string shot out in fast speed towards Mika. Unfortunately, Mika didn't see the move coming in time and the missiles ended up wrapping themselves around her neck. Once they stopped, an electric surge shot through her body. The pain alone made Mika let out a short scream before she fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

Sektor had already took his leave as he was announced as the winner of the match. Afterward, Mika's friends quickly got in the ring to check up on her.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortess**

After his shift for the morning, Sagat was walking through the halls on his way to the sleeping quarters to get some rest for a couple of hours. It was definitely something he needed, especially after the last couple of days with his loss in the tournament and finding out that Julia was definitely here.

Not like it was already enough that he had to deal with his 'job.'

All was quiet as he continued to make his way down the hallway…at least until he heard a set of footsteps coming from the hall that he was about to pass. Sagat slowed himself down, a bit curious as to who was coming. Soon, the person came by and he instantly recognized his former pupil Adon.

Adon happened to turn his head and he saw Sagat standing before him. He stopped in his tracks and for a moment the two stared at each other. It had only been two days since the two last saw each other, but for some reason it felt longer.

Sagat didn't want to ask, but he had to anyway. "What are you up to?"

Adon snorted. "Well despite what I said the other day, I guess I might as well tell you, considering-"

"Cut the crap and get to the point!" Sagat demanded.

"Fine," Adon said. "Today, I made my decision."

"You're going to challenge Havik to a fight?"

"Not just any fight," Adon said. "It's going to be a fight to the death."

Sagat felt a bit surprised upon hearing that. He knew Adon wanted revenge badly, but did he really have to go as far as death match just to feel satisfied?

"You're a fool," Sagat told him. "There's no point in talking about revenge in itself, but you are being irrational about how you want to seek out your revenge-"

"Don't tell me how I should seek vengeance!" Adon yelled. "The reason I decided this is since Havik is supposedly a servant of 'chaos' I thought it would be a good match for him… a last match of course."

"I gladly take the challenge," a calm voice suddenly said. Adon and Sagat turned their heads to the voice and saw Havik standing a few feet from them. With him were Kabal and Kira, all three of them having heard the Muay Thai fighters' conversation.

"You!" Adon growled. Even before he bolted, Sagat grabbed a hold of him, forcing him to struggle a bit.

"I've been waiting since day one for you to approach me for a match," Havik said to Adon. "I just didn't expect you to want a death match. Excellent choice I must say. If you like, we can start our match right now-"

"I have a better idea," said Kabal stepping in. He looked at Havik briefly. "This will be unorthodox for Havik, but I believe it'll be best to have this match at a specific location. I remember a place not too far from here from when I was last here in Outworld. We'll head there tonight."

"Wait," called out Kira. "You do realize that Havik has a match tomorrow."

"It'll be worth the risk," Havik replied. He then looked at Adon. "Fine. We'll have our death match at the location Kabal suggests."

Adon eyed him. "I look forward to it."

~~~

**Palace Grounds**

Xianghua sighed to herself as she sat on a bench facing the main palace. Five minutes had already passed since Maxi sent her outside so that he could take care of something. He said he'd be back in ten minutes, but she had the feeling that it was going to take longer.

_What is he doing that's so important?_ she thought with a small sigh.

As she waited, she noticed someone walking towards her. She looked up out of curiosity and she quickly felt her heart flutter a bit upon seeing the same man she saw the other day when she was here with Mi-na.

_I never thought I'd see him again!_ she thought feeling her cheeks burn a bit.

To her luck, the blonde stranger noticed her and he walked over to her. A smirk came over his face. "Ah, you're here again," he said to her. "I didn't think I'd see your lovely face again so soon."

Xianghua found herself giggling a bit. "Yeah, I, eh, didn't think I'd see you again either. Say, I never got to know your name last time."

The man nodded as he slowly pulled out another fully-bloomed red rose out of his pocket. "My name is simply Vega. And you are?"

"Xianghua."

"Ah, such a lovely name." He then sat next to her and handed the rose to her. "Which makes me wonder… why are you here alone?"

"Actually," Xianghua replied as she took the rose in her hand. "I'm waiting for a friend of mine. He had to go take care of something."

"I see," Vega said. "You know, I don't think friends should leave their friends waiting."

Xianghua shrugged. "It's okay. I only have to wait a short time really."

Vega nodded. "I have an idea… I'd like to get to know you more, Xianghua. How about we meet here for a late dinner tonight. Nine o'clock?"

Xianghua nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Excellent," Vega said. He then moved his head closer to her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I look forward to seeing you tonight." With that Vega stood up and took his leave.

As Xianghua turned her head, she was almost startled upon seeing Maxi standing a few feet from her. He seemed to have a blank expression on his face, but upon noticing that she was looking at him, he slightly shook his head and forced himself to smile.

"Well I'm back," Maxi said as he approached her. "Say, who's your new boyfriend?"

Xianghua quickly stood up and eyed her companion. "Hey! He's not my boyfriend. Actually, it's sort of a long story."

"Come on," Maxi said to her. "He gave you a rose!"

Xianghua quickly changed the subject. "Wait… just tell me why I had to wait for you?"

Maxi nearly forgot about that. He quickly thought through what he could say to her and ended up saying the first thing that came to mind. "You know… I was in there for some time and I don't even remember why."

Xianghua sighed. "Maxi… you're hopeless."

"Let's just go," Maxi said. He and Xianghua began to leave the palace grounds. Unknown to Xianghua, throughout that whole conversation, Maxi tried his best to suppress his anger. After all, he did discover the fact that Astaroth was right here in Outworld…

~~~

**Deep In The Forest**

"That was a good picnic," said Kilik. He was walking through a trail he never walked through before with Jade, the both of them using their staffs to get themselves through the steep hills more easily.

"Indeed it was," agreed Jade. "Maybe one day you could try the food in Edenia if you ever decide to visit."

Kilik smirked. "And you should try the food in Keisei… if you try to visit of course."

Jade smirked as well. "You know… I know of a clearing not too far from there. I've… trained there a couple of times with my friends since we came here."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Kilik said.

"After all," she said. "I did promise you a sparring session… especially since I have my match in two days."

"Practice is definitely good," Kilik ended up saying unsure of what else to say.

While he rubbed his neck, Kilik thought he saw something and stopped in his tracks. He scanned around the area again to double check, just in case his eyes were playing games with him.

Jade had noticed that he stopped walking. She stopped walking as well and looked at Kilik who was still searching about. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I thought I saw some-" Kilik began to say. Then he saw what he thought he saw…a few yards ahead, he saw what looked like a person on the ground not moving.

Immediately, Kilik ran forward with a confused Jade following him not too far behind. Kilik didn't stop running until he reached the person, obviously a male just by his body shape. The male was lying face down with her long blonde hair fallen over his face.

Jade noted some black spots on the trees and ground before turning her attention back to Kilik. "He was definitely attacked by something," she said.

Kilik slowly turned the man to his back, noting the blood on his head which dripped down over his face. The young man then took his fingers and pressed it on the side of the man's neck to feel for a pulse.

"He's alive, but his pulse is faint," Kilik said. "He doesn't look to have any injuries other than the one on his head." He then pulled the unconscious man up and slowly got him over his shoulders. Kilik winced a bit as he realized how heavy the man was.

Silently then, Kilik and Jade ran through the trail in the direction where they came from. Since they ran, it was about forty-five minutes before they reached a fork. From here, Kilik knew that he and Jade had to separate at this point. Besides, Kilik was having a feeling that it may be best to take this man back in the cave, a decision he hoped that he wouldn't regret later.

"Jade," Kilik said. "I know someone who could take care of this man. I'll try to meet up with you again in a couple of days."

Jade looked at him confused. "Let me come with you-"

"No!" Kilik cut in. "I'm sorry, but you can't follow me at this point. Go back to the palace. I'll see you later." With that, Kilik ran down the trail that would lead him back to the cave with the unconscious man in tow.

Jade sighed to herself. "I swear… I better not go through the same little dilemma as Kitana is with Siegfried." Then, she began walking through the trail that would take her back to the main palace.


	47. Chapter Forty-Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential Trigger Warning ahead in this chapter.

**Evening Hours, Cave**

At first, all was seen was blur as Paul tried to open his eyes. He slowly blinked a couple of times as he tried to get his vision straightened out.

"Ugh," he uttered as he lifted a hand to rub the tension in his head.

Then an unfamiliar voice rang in. "I see you're finally awake, Paul."

Paul blinked a couple of more times before he finally got his vision cleared. He looked around and saw that he was lying on a couch. The walls seemed to look as though he was in…

_Great, I'm in a cave this time,_ he thought. _Can't I just be back in my room at the palace?_

Soon, Paul's eyes shifted and this time, he was able to see the person who had spoken to him. For a second, he was a bit surprised when he realized that the man who spoke to him was the very same man who tried to get him to join with him because the world was apparently in danger. They had that conversation the night before Paul was taken to the dungeons.

Paul smirked a little. "Heh, it's you," he said. "Raiden, if I remember correctly."

Raiden nodded. "So you do remember me." He then walked over to him with a mug which had hot steam coming out of it. "You were merely unconscious when you came here. One of my chosen ones, Kilik, found you deep in the forest and brought you here.

Paul slowly sat himself up as Raiden spoke, grunting a bit due to his headache. "I was with someone," he said. "He helped me with… some things and I really owe him my life."

Raiden shook his head a bit. "I'm sorry, but when you were found, no one else was around."

"I see," Paul replied. _I'm sure Ermac's fine. Heck, if I could beat Ogre two years ago, I'm confident that he'll defend himself fine._ He then smirked in appreciation. _Thanks for everything, buddy. Wish I could say that in person._

"Normally," Raiden continued. "I would just have you checked up, then brought you back to the main palace. However, there are two reasons why we kept you here."

Raiden handed the cup over to Paul as he took it in his hand. He looked into the cup and realized that it was tea. "Go on," he said.

"For one thing and this is the main reason… the _Chishio No Me_ medallion is more than anyone knows. As you and everyone else knows, it has all the power in the world and we are here to make sure that that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. If that happens, then we have a good amount of allies to defend ourselves when we have to. These chosen ones have pure hearts and souls, despite who they are and despite their past. You, Paul, are one of them. You're a strong fighter and we would like you to join with us."

"Thanks for the offer," Paul said. "But I don't think I'm cut out for it."

"Which brings me to my second reason," Raiden said. "I looked at those scars… there's no denying that they're recent. You were in the dungeons, were you?"

Paul was silent for a moment, wondering if he should admit what he went through. Then a question came to him. "Why do you want to know?"

"Obviously," Raiden replied. "Those who've tortured you are out after you, most likely to execute you."

Paul nodded. "You know… for a moment there, I almost forgot about that. I was hiding out in the forest with an ally of mine…"

"Was he a prisoner too?"

"Actually, he saved my life. Not sure where he went, however, but hopefully, he survived...”

“I see.” The Thunder God changed the subject then. "Even if you don't want to join us, at least hide out here until the end of the tournament."

A thought came to Paul then. _You know… if I had taken his offer to begin with, perhaps I would've never been in the dungeons… how much more of an idiot can I be?_

"Fine," Paul said. "Let me just-"

"Get your belongings?" Raiden finished for him. "Don't worry. My ally Rose, a psychic, knew where your room was and gathered your stuff here. When you're ready to get up, I'll show you to your room."

"Thank you," Paul said. He then slowly took a sip of his tea, appreciating the warmth that it brought to him.

~~~

**In Another Part Of The Cave**

"That was some good training," said Mi-na as she brushed her arm a bit with her hand. "For one thing, we had it in the evening this time instead of the crack of dawn."

"Yeah yeah," replied Hwang. "I figured, since I did sleep in this morning that you'd be happy with that decision."

"We should train in the evening from now on," Mi-na suggested.

Hwang smirked. "I don't think so. We train again first thing tomorrow morning."

"Rats," Mi-na uttered.

The two of them continued walking through the cave's hall heading towards their rooms which were next door to each other. Before they got in the cave, Hwang had looked at the position of the full moon and had guessed that it was a little later into the evening.

He found it funny how the two of them had different habits when it came to training, especially considering that they were both trained under the same master, who happened to be Mi-na's father, Han-myeong. That very thought reminded him of why he and Mi-na were stuck here in Outworld to begin with…

_With all that's been happening,_ Hwang thought. _It's no surprise that I forget why we're here in the first place._

They were here because Mi-na had run away from home and he and the rest of the Lee Dynasty Coast Guards were sent out to look for her. Hwang was the only one who spotted her going on the ships. Normally, he would've just dragged her off the ship. However, he knew that she had a reason for doing so.

That day, he had made a vow to himself. Depending on the condition of her excuse, he would choose then whether or not to return her back home, which was a hard decision for him… it meant either betraying his friend or betraying his master.

"Hey Mi-na," Hwang said.

Mi-na looked up at him as they finally approached her room. "What's up?" she asked.

"I, eh, wanted to talk to you about something important."

"Really?" Mi-na asked curiously. "Well, we can talk in-"

"Hey you two!" a male voice cut in.

Hwang sighed as he and Mi-na turned to see who just spoke. Coming up to them were Kilik and Maxi.

"Hey you guys," replied Mi-na. She then looked at Kilik. "I heard about you staff dilemma during Round Four."

Kilik sighed a little. "Don't remind me."

"Too bad we all lost the tournament," said Maxi.

"Yeah," said Hwang. "But through it all, I just hope that someone in this cave will win the tournament in the end."

"We all do," agreed Mi-na.

Then Maxi laughed a little, deciding the change the subject. "Hey, you know what's entertaining about our stay here? All the nice romance around here. First, you have the Julia and Mika cat fight over Ryu."

"Oh I think after their match, they won't be near each other anytime soon," said Mi-na.

"Is it really worth it?" asked Hwang.

"With a guy like Ryu," replied Maxi. "I guess if depends on a woman's taste in men. Oh yeah, and did I mention Kilik's seeing his new girlfriend, Jade?"

Kilik eyed his friend. "How many times do I have to tell you… we're just friends."

"Sure sure," Maxi joked. "And now Xianghua is sort of seeing this new guy with blonde hair named Vega around the main palace. He even gave her a rose!"

Kilik and Hwang laughed a little. "Someone's in love," said Kilik.

"Guys, that's not funny," said Mi-na.

The three guys looked at Mi-na, seeing the very serious look on her face. "Come on Mi-na," replied Maxi. "You know I like to just joke around."

"I know you do," Mi-na said. "But there's something you guys should know about that guy Xianghua's seeing. Maxi, you're short description was the same as the guy I saw come up to Xianghua at the palace grounds a couple of days ago. Neither of them even knew each other, yet the guy was already worshipping over her, telling her how beautiful she was and even gave her a rose. That may sound romantic to some, but I find it extremely suspicious. I mean, for one thing, he didn't even ask her for her name."

"Actually," Maxi cut in. "Xianghua told me they introduced themselves to each other today."

"And I didn't like his demeanor either," Mi-na continued. "Now, I don't give a rat's ass that he didn't notice me, he's not my type anyway… but to do that in front of someone and completely ignore them is really rude."

"She's got a point," said Kilik. "This guy seems to be completely focused on Xianghua."

"Did she mention anything else to you, Maxi?" asked Hwang.

"Let's see," Maxi began to answer. "She rambled a few times over how 'cute' he was and how pretty his blue eyes were… oh yeah, and she was going to meet him for dinner at the palace around nine o'clock."

Kilik looked at a pocket watch that he had borrowed from Raiden.. "Um… it's almost ten o'clock…"

The four of them looked at each other for a moment. Then they quickly ran a few yards down the hall to Xianghua's room. Hwang was the first to reach the room and he pulled the curtain aside. The four of them peered into the room and to their dismay, Xianghua wasn't there.

"Damn it!" Kilik cried out. "At this point, she's been gone for almost an hour."

"There's still a chance that she's still at dinner," mentioned Maxi. "I'll go down there and check it out."

"I'll go with you," offered Mi-na.

"Mi-na you stay here," Hwang said to her.

"Actually it's best that Mi-na goes with Maxi," said Kilik. "Since she was able to get a full view of him, she'll be able to identify the guy more easily."

"Thank you Kilik," said Mi-na. "And Hwang, I'm going to have a talk with you about trying to keep me here later."

Hwang sighed a little. "Any who, Kilik and I will stay here, just in case Xianghua returns to the cave."

"Sounds like a plan," said Maxi. "Mi-na and I will try to get back here within two hours."

With that, the four then separated with Maxi and Mi-na grabbing their weapons and began making their way towards the main palace.

~~~

**Behind The Abandoned Fortress**

Whiling waiting for Adon to show up, Havik looked up towards the ceiling. "You know what's humorous? The fact that I purposely showed up late just to piss off Adon… and it turns out that he's later than I am."

Kira sighed out of boredom, her arms folded in front of her since she, Havik, and Kabal got here. "I'm quite sure he'll be here, since he's been begging for this like a dog for so long."

"The time will come," said Kabal. "All we have to do is-"

Kabal then trailed off upon footsteps behind heard. The three of them turned around along with the Shadow Priests that were around them, seeing Adon walking over to them. He wore a long silky boxer's jacket that fell just above his thigh revealing his blue shorts with gold trim and his feet and ankles that were covered with white tape. Although the large hood covered his head, one would still be able to see the determination in his eyes.

Havik walked a couple of feet forward towards his opponent. Before he stopped, Adon quickly took off his jacket with one hand, throwing it aside before it landed on the ground. From there, the two of them had a stare down, neither one of them seem to not even blink during that moment.

Soon, Kabal broke the silence. "You shall now be heading outside. Once outside, the doors will be closed and neither one of you will be allowed back inside until one of you is dead. The only others who will be outside are some Shadow Priests who will be observing the fight around the platform you will be fighting on."

Soon, the Shadow Priests opened the door. Immediately, Havik walked outside, followed by Adon.

Meanwhile on the top floor of the abandoned palace, Sagat was watching from a throne through a window. A moment ago when he entered this room, he was nearly surprised upon seeing where Havik and Adon would be fighting. They would be fighting on top of a platform ascended seven stories in the air with the only way up being a single ladder that was in front of the fortress.

Far below the platform pretty much gave away how this death match would end… whoever landed on one of the countless large six foot spikes poking from the ground was the loser who would not only lose their dignity, but also their life. Even if one of them ended up missing the spikes, it still spelled death for them depending on the extent of their injuries.

_Adon should've seriously thought about this before making this irrational decision,_ Sagat thought.

Soon, he heard the doors open and knew that Kabal and Kira had entered the room, both of them walking up to either side of them. "Wasn't Vega supposed to be here?" asked Kabal.

Sagat shook his head. "He gave me a notice this afternoon saying that he had his own plans for the evening, whatever that is…"

"Betrayal maybe?" guessed Kira.

Sagat shook his head. "If you knew him, you would think much otherwise."

They soon saw Havik reaching up to the top of the platform, getting himself up with ease before walking towards the middle of the ring. He seemed quite delighted about this match, which was no surprise to them.

"I had a thought," said Kabal. "What would Shao Kahn think if he found out about this?"

"I've already spoken to him," replied Sagat. "He encourages it. He's curious to know who is the strongest of the two."

Outside, Adon managed to finish climbing up the ladder, ignoring the fact that he was very high up with a set of spikes below him, waiting to eat him or Havik alive. Once he was completely up, he walked himself towards the middle of the ring, keeping himself a few feet away from Havik, who was waiting and ready to fight him.

The two of them stood where they were, staring down at each other once again. As they did, they were able to hear the ladder that brought them up here slowly beginning to make it's way down. Neither one of them moved during that time.

It was about a minute before the ladder finally reached the floor. Both of them heard a loud click, signaling them that their death match had officially begun. Neither one of them wasted anytime as they jumped towards each other, both of them screaming battle cries.

When they reached each other, Adon began delivering his quick Muay Thai kicks, delighted that he was able to get himself on offense first. While on defense, Havik quickly blocked Adon's kicks, hoping that he would eventually find an opening and break through Adon's attacks.

The two of them went on like this for nearly two minutes before they pulled back, mainly for Adon to take a short breather while they circled each other. As they did, Havik noted the dotted scars on Adon's left cheek.

"You know," Havik said to him. "I think those scars suit your complexion very well."

Those words hit a nerve. Letting out another battle cry, Adon sprinted towards Havik, who stood where he was ready for more of his attacks.

~~~

**Main Palace**

"Wow, that chocolate cake was really good!" cried Xianghua as she leaned back a bit. "I don't think I can eat anymore."

Sitting across from her in the dining quarters, Vega smirked at her. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, my dear."

Xianghua giggled a little, liking the fact that Vega was calling her dear. She then took a deep breath before looking at him. "So, which realm are you from?"

"Earthrealm," Vega replied. "And how about you?"

"Keisei," Xianghua said. "It has it's moments. However, ever since I came to Outworld, I've been hearing a lot of good things about Earthrealm. It seems a lot more exciting. I may even take a trip there one day."

Vega nodded. "It's all right. But I guess if you've lived there all of your life, it tends to get boring after a while."

"Yeah," Xianghua agreed. "But then again, it'll always be your home, no matter what."

"I come from a country called Spain. There, I have a career as a Matador."

Xianghua shook her head a bit. "Matador? Never heard of that."

"I guess they don't have it in your world," Vega assumed. "Well, a Matador is a competitor in a sport called Bullfighting, or _Tauromachy._ The title is self explanatory, we basically fight a bull. There are three stages in bullfighting. The first step for the Matador is to check how aggressive the bull is by using a red cape and to see how the bull swings his head. Depending on how he swings his head, it would let the Matador know the condition of the bull's eyes. This procedure will help the Matador with his strategy on how and when to approach the bull. Once the Matador is ready, he would plunge his lance in the bull's neck.

"The second stage involves the Matador planting two barbed sticks with flags into the bull, which further weakens the bull. This procedure will either cause the bull to become weak from the loss of blood or to become more ferocious. When it's weak, the Matador is ordered to stop. If it's ferocious, he's encouraged to continue.

"The final stage has the Matador relying on his cape to make the final blow, which he has to aim between the shoulder blades to get through to the aorta or heart. If the Matador doesn't perform the quick death, it's considered a failed performance."

Although Xianghua tried her best to listen with interest, she felt as though she was going to get sick. "Um… that sounds like an interesting sport…but the poor bull… which makes me wonder… what happens if the bull survives the whole thing?"

"Whether the bull survives or not, he's never put in a bullfight twice," Vega replied. "If he survives, he's immediately retired to a stable as they have learned from their experience and become much more aggressive than previous. Also, if you ever hear about the bull being attracted to the red color of the cape, ignore it because it's not true. They are simply attracted to the cape's movement," Vega explained. "Most people think that, but the red cape is actually a tradition. Bulls are color blind."

"I see," Xianghua said.

Vega then looked at his watch. "You know my dear, it's getting quite late. It's almost ten thirty in the evening."

Xianghua looked at him a bit surprised. "Wow, we've been here for a while. I definitely had a good time tonight."

"I'm glad you did," Vega said. "You know, I just remembered… before you leave, how about we come up to my room for a few minutes. I want to show you something."

_Don't do it!_ a thought suddenly came in Xianghua's mind. She rolled her eyes upwards a bit as though she was looking up at her head. _What was that?_ she thought. _This man has shown nothing but kindness since I've met him. I'm sure going up to his room for five minutes won't hurt._

"Sure," Xianghua said. "But only for a few minutes."

"Good," Vega replied. "Just give me a moment, I just need to do something quick. Why don't you meet me by the main staircase."

Xianghua stood up. "All right. I'll see you there." She then took her leave and left the dinning quarters.

Once she was completely out of sight, a middle-age man with a long gray beard sat where Xianghua was a moment ago. Even if he was recognizable, Vega knew who this was.

"Is she to your likings, Shang Tsung?" Vega asked the sorcerer.

"She is a bit different from what I am used to," Shang Tsung replied. "But I am willing to give her a try, just in case. She does have lovely eyes."

"Indeed she does," Vega agreed.

"You've done well Vega," Shang Tsung said. "As a matter of fact, as a reward, I will let you have her for the remainder of the tournament, but you are to hand her over to me when the time comes. I'm sure that you have many… desires in that mind of yours."

Vega smirked. "I surely do."

~~~

**Cave**

"Damn it," Alex muttered to herself as she rolled herself halfway in her bed. "Why can't I get myself to sleep tonight?"

It was strange to her really. The pain she was experiencing the past couple of days have ceased for now, aside from the numb feeling in her wrists and the stinging feeling whenever she was in the hot springs. Yet, somehow, she was not able to get sleep then.

Alex shifted again, getting herself on her back and found herself looking up at the dark ceiling of the cave (if you could call it a ceiling). Normally if she couldn't sleep, she'd be doing whatever paperwork she had to get done. Or perhaps grab the remote on her nightstand and watch some late night TV.

However, there was no paperwork or TV, much to her dismay.

_Maybe I've been getting too much sleep,_ she concluded.

For a brief moment, Alex thought about getting up and taking a walk. However, the very thought of what had happened to her (mostly what she could only imagine) scared her into staying in bed. Then again, she didn't want to stay in bed awake for hours either. She just wanted to pass some time before sleep decides to settle in.

Maybe walking around inside the cave will do, she thought. That sounds much more safer than being outside.

Alex got herself up and on her feet, taking a heavy blanket with her to keep herself warm. She stretched herself out a bit before pulling the velvet curtain aside and leaving her room, walking towards the lounge room.

Aside from some murmurs coming from some of the rooms of those still awake, the cave was mostly quiet with almost everyone sleeping by this time of the evening. Alex didn't think much about anything, at least until she realized that she was just beginning to pass Kenshi's room. She stopped for a moment and listened in near the curtain to see if she could hear any rustling. She heard nothing and assumed that either he was sleeping or wasn't in the room.

Curiosity got to Alex as she pulled the curtain aside. Even in the darkness, she could see that Kenshi was sound asleep. She sighed to herself, having hope for just a second that he may have been awake.

She then saw Kenshi shift himself a bit in his sleep. A thought came to her then. _Hopefully he won't kill me for this..._

Alex walked into the room and went up to his bed before slightly touching his shoulder. "Kenshi?" she said. In reply, he made a small grunt, stretching his arm a bit, a sign that he was awake.

"Hrmm…" he muttered a bit, still half asleep.

"I'm sorry Kenshi," Alex said. "But I can't sleep."

Kenshi yawned a bit before slowly sitting himself up, rubbing his eyes in the process. Unknown to Alex, he had been having difficulty getting to sleep as well.

"Why can't you sleep?" he asked her.

Alex shrugged. "I just can't… I think I've got too much sleep the past few days."

Kenshi slightly nodded. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Alex smirked a bit. "Well… if you don't mind… unless you want to go back to sleep…"

"Don't worry about it," Kenshi cut in as he reached over to his red blindfold which was lying on one of his two bags. "I had the feeling that I was going to fall in and out of sleep tonight anyway."

Kenshi then placed his blindfold over his eyes, tying a knot behind his head. He was already wearing a white t-shirt and black sweatpants so he only had to get his sword, which was in it's scabbard.

Alex looked down at his bare feet. "Aren't you going to put your boots on?"

"Not this time," Kenshi replied. "I used to travel with no shoes on for a while."

Alex then looked down at her own feet, noting the socks she was wearing that were nearly hidden underneath the ankle part of her blue flannel PJ pants. "Well, I guess they aren't necessary at the moment."

Kenshi stood up, taking his own blanket with him and throwing it over his shoulder, having the feeling that he may need it later due to the cold weather. "Let's head out," he said.

Walking forward first, Alex made her way out of the room with Kenshi just behind her.

~~~

**Behind The Abandoned Fortress**

The intense fight between Adon and Havik continued on. Even Sagat, Kabal, and Kira who were watching all of this through the viewing room on the top of the fortress, weren't sure how much time had passed since the fight began. For now, the two of them seemed quite even.

As Havik avoided some kick attacks from Adon, he spoke. "Give it up, human. If you do, I may actually let you live."

"I won't give up until you are dead!" Adon called out in rage. He then jumped forward with one knee in front of him and managed to slam it into Havik's abdomen. He then followed it with his rear knee, successfully connecting the attack. "Rising Jaguar!" he called out during the attack.

Havik was forced to be pushed up into the air diagonally and he flew a few feet back before falling and landing back on the ground. He only stayed there for just a second as Adon ran after him before rolling back twice and getting himself back on his feet.

"Good," Havik said about the move. "But not good enough." He waited until Adon was just two feet away from him. Quickly, the Chaosrealm native extended his arms out on either side of him before twisting his torso in fast speed into a full circle. During the process, he managed to hit Adon twice with his closed fists, then one last time as he turned his torso in the other direction.

Adon was forced to rear back a few feet after the third hit, shaking the pain off. "Freak!" he called out before running back to Havik again.

Havik seemed to smile despite his grotesque mouth area that was nothing but bones. "I love it how humans think they're insulting me with a word that is actually considered a compliment in my realm."

When he was close enough, Adon jumped forward, attempting to deliver a flying kick. However, Havik saw the move in time and he managed to grab Adon's ankles with both of his hands before swinging him around just behind him, sending Adon flying across the platform before landing and sliding across the ground. When he came to a stop, Adon realized that he was now less than a foot away from the edge of the platform and he immediately rolled himself away from the edge.

As Adon was distracted, Havik took the opportunity to extend his arms out in front of him before bending his knees backwards, letting out a blue projectile. The blue projectile shot out towards Adon, who noticed the move coming and jumped out of the way just in time, letting the projectile pass him.

This time, it was Havik who was running towards Adon. In order to keep himself further from the edge of the ring, Adon ran after Havik as well. He then jumped himself up in the air before extending his leg and darting diagonally towards Havik.

" _Jaguar Kick!_ " Adon cried out as the move connected to Havik's head. A loud snap! was heard as Havik was pushed back a few feet before landing on the ground.

Adon landed safely back on his two feet and looked down at Havik, who was lying still on the ground with his arms towards Adon. To Adon's delight, it looked as though Havik was dead and that this match was finally over.

"Finally!" Adon called out raising his arms in victory. "I finally have my revenge! I am truly the Muay Thai GOD!"

However, before Adon could continue to celebrate, Havik body suddenly glided forward in a fast speed. Adon couldn't react in time and he soon found himself being tripped by the Cleric of Chaos, falling forward before landing flat on his face.

"What?!" Adon cried out as he turned himself around to face Havik. Adon was in such a shock that he hadn't noticed that he nose was now broken and bleeding from the last fall.

Havik managed to stand himself up. Adon became even more stock upon seeing that Havik's neck was literally twisted two-hundred and seventy degrees! The head was just a quarter away from a full circle.

Yet, somehow, Havik was able to stand up.

"Impossible…" Adon muttered as he eyes widened.

Using both of his hands, it took three tries for Havik to get his head back in it's normal position. As he did, wet cracks reached Adon's ears, sending chills up his spine.

"You know," Havik said as Adon began standing himself up. "I love pain, but that actually didn't feel so good! I commend you for that, my friend."

Adon growled. "Commend this!" he yelled out as he ran over to Havik with a battle cry.

However, as Adon reached him, Havik used his fist to cause even more damage to his nose. Adon finally realized that his nose was broken as the sheer pain extended all around his head. He was forced to rear back, holding his nose with his left hand.

As Adon was distracted by the pain, Havik delivered various punches and kicks at his opponent in quick speed. To his delight, he was completely on the upper hand. Adon tried to block Havik's attacks, but his vision was still messed up from the punch and wasn't able to correctly calculate when to block.

Soon, Havik realized that they were two feet away from the edge. Havik decided to cease his attacks. He stood where he was as Adon stumbled back, now a foot away from the edge. From there, Havik decided that the fun has to end. Unknown to Adon, Havik reached his hand to his side and his fingers wrapped themselves around the hilt of his mourning star. From there, he waited for the right moment.

"It's a shame," Havik said to Adon. "We could've been good friends. You have such potential to be the Cleric of Chaos, just like me."

Adon looked up at Havik with rage. "That'll never happen! I'd rather die before I join up with you!" He then took a foot forward, the moment Havik waited for.

"Long live Chaos!" Havik cried out before raising his morning star and swinging it sideways. The weapon managed to connect, this time on Adon's right side of his face. The force of the impact sent Adon in the air, his body turning in circles, and the fresh blood gushing out from his face.

Before he knew it, Adon had fallen off the edge of the platform and began falling to his death below.

Havik looked over at the edge of the platform. Adon's screams were heard as he fell towards the spikes below. Soon, a noise mixed of a crunch and a splat was heard as Adon landed one of the spikes, the blade piercing through his torso. Even when this happened, Havik never turned away.

Adon had nearly expected tremendous pain upon landing on the spike. However, since the spike pieced through his spinal cord, he became paralyzed, feeling completely nothing. Only a faint moan escaped his throat before death succumbed him.

Havik seemed delighted once he realized that Adon was dead. "To think that his last words were that he'd rather die before he joined up with me. How ironic."

Meanwhile, in the viewing room, all was quiet amongst the three who were watching the death match. The most silent of them all happened to be Sagat. He stared down at Adon's lifeless body with a blank expression on his face. However, his thoughts were much different.

Sagat felt remorse for Adon. However, he knew that his former pupil chose this path for himself, which meant that he had also written his own death warrant.

~~~

**Main Palace**

The moment Vega opened the door to his room, Xianghua became astonished upon seeing what the room looked like. Everything was decorated in gold with some parts filled with lush green plants.

_Are all the rooms like this?_ Xianghua asked with amazement.

"You may stay as long as you like," Vega said to her.

Xianghua nodded as she walked in. Vega smirked to himself as he closed the door behind him. Standing where he was, he watched Xianghua slowly walking forward and looking around the room.

During that time, Vega noticed the outfit she was wearing. Xianghua wore a black shoulder less shirt with gold trims underneath a white open jacket decorated with a blue flame with gold edges at the end of the sleeves and a pair of red and gold flowers, one on each shoulder, a light blue butterfly on her back. She also wore a pair of shorts with a black trim on the waistline designed with the same blue flames on her sleeves on each side of her hip, a pair of white ankle warmers with a holder that went around her blue slippers. On her head was a thick white headband with gold designs and a blue ribbon on each side. On her neck was black choker with a gold ring in the front.

"Oh wow!" Xianghua called out. "There's even a balcony!" She walked herself over to the glass doors that lead to the outside balcony. She opened the doors, the cool air rushing into the room before stepping out.

Once she was outside, Vega walked over to the balcony doors and stepped outside. Xianghua looked out at the view of Outworld, leaning her hands against the black bars.

"Do you like the view?" Vega asked her.

"It's really beautiful," Xianghua replied as she continued to view the world around her. "How did you get such a nice room?"

"Just by luck," Vega said. He slowly managed to walk over to Xianghua, setting himself just a foot behind her. A smirk came over his face as he noted the major height difference between them. He was six foot two inches tall, and she couldn't be any more than five feet tall. _It's just perfect,_ he thought.

"This was what I wanted to show you," Vega said to her. "Most people don't see this world as I do. It holds a rare beauty. You should see it as the sun sets every morning. It's indeed a breath-taking view."

"I can only imagine," Xianghua said nodding.

The smirk on Vega's face widened. He bent his head down a bit and softly inhaled, taking in Xianghua's scent. Indeed beautiful, he thought. Taking in her scent, it was as though he was smelling lotus flowers.

"However," Vega continued. "Not many can beat out this beauty. You, Xianghua, are much more beautiful than this world… or my world for that matter." As he said this, he managed to slowly snake his hands around Xianghua's waist.

Xianghua drew a quick breath upon his touch, not expecting Vega to do that. She then felt him bring his face over next to hers. "Close your eyes," he whispered in her ear. "Enjoy yourself."

Vega then brought his lips to her neck and placed light kisses on them. This caused Xianghua to close her eyes as she placed her own hands over his. As he continued to slowly leave a trail of kisses along her neck, Xianghua's leaned her head back a bit, her breath becoming shorter with every second that passed.

Upon feeling Vega creeping his hand up towards her breasts, Xianghua's eyes snapped opened, realizing what she was doing. She was letting this man touch her, yet she hardly knew him.

_What was I thinking?_ she cried out in her mind.

"No!" Xianghua cried out, stepping forward in protest. Vega let her go and straightened himself up as Xianghua turned around to face him. A surprised look came over Vega's face after the gesture.

"What's the matter?" Vega asked her.

Xianghua sighed a little. "I… I'm sorry Vega, but this is going too fast for me. And besides… I have to go… I'm sorry…"

Xianghua managed to walk past Vega and went back inside his room. She was only able to walk another five feet before a pair of hands grabbed her and turned her around. Before she realized what happened, she felt a hard slap across her face. She let out a small cry in surprise as she fell to her side. She place her hand over the cheek that was slapped and looked up. Fear immediately came over her as she saw the craze in Vega's eyes.

"NO ONE REJECTS ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" Vega screamed in rage.

Xianghua's eyes widened with horror as her heart began racing. _Damn it…the one time I decided not to bring my sword!_

"Leave me alone!" Xianghua begged. She tried to get up, but before she did, Vega lifted his foot and managed to kick Xianghua's abdomen, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell back to the ground again. Before she could get up again, Vega managed to grab her arms and got her into a hold lock. Xianghua tried to struggle out of his grip, but to no avail as he got her to the bed.

"Let me go you bastard!" Xianghua cried as Vega threw her on to the bed. After being thrown, she tried to get back up, but Vega's towering form was already on top of her.

A sadistic grin came over his face as he laughed. "Now you shall be mine!" he called out as he ripped her headband off of her head.

As she tried to struggle out of his grip, Xianghua managed to notice the porcelain mask that was lying on top of the nightstand next to the bed. For a second, she tried to figure out why the mask was familiar to her.

Then it hit her… it was the very mask worn by Maxi's opponent during the second round of the tournament.

She looked up at the sadistic Vega, realizing what this was all about now. Because of his loss in the tournament, Vega wanted revenge against Maxi… and he was using Xianghua in order to get that revenge.

She wasn't going to let that happen as she continued to fight back.

~~~

**Forest**

While walking through the forests, Alex looked up towards the sky. It was a navy blue color with no stars present. The half moon was only able to glare a little light in between the trees that surrounded her.

"Let's take a short break," Kenshi's voice cut in.

Alex looked straight ahead. "How long have we been walking?" she asked.

"A half hour I think," Kenshi guessed as he spread out the blanket he was holding. He then lied the blanket down on to the forest ground near a couple of boulders that seemed to be planted into the dirt. Alex shrugged a bit as she and Kenshi sat down on top of the blanket, her own blanket wrapped around her.

Once they were settled, the two of them were silent for the first couple of minutes, neither one of them saying a word. With the occasional rustling sound from the leaves on the tree branches created by the light wind, all was quiet around them. At any other time, both the quiet and the dark would have unnerved Alex, but clearly Kenshi was bothered by the lack of sound at least. One of the good things about his keen senses was that he would know if something was wrong before it happened.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Alex laughed a little as a thought came to her. "You know what's funny? By this time, I was supposed to be back on active duty with Special Forces after I should've visited my aunt. Good thing it was supposed to be surprise visit or else she would be wondering where I was." She then sighed a bit. "Great… it makes me wonder what's going to happen when we return to Earth…"

"Just don't worry about it until we get back," Kenshi assured her. "With Sonya and I around, we can help you explain to the higher-ups what happened."

"Yeah," Alex said. "Hmm, and Jax should be back from his own vacation too by now. I wonder how he and Cyrax are doing."

Kenshi decided to change the subject then. "How is your back doing?" he asked.

Alex moved her arms to look at her wrists, causing the blanket she had to fall behind her. "It's strange… my wrists seem to hurt more than my back, at least for the moment… I guess that's a good thing."

The wind seemed to pick up then, making the temperature seem more colder than usual. Alex felt a chill go up her spine and Goosebumps took over her arms. Using both of her hands, she brushed her arms up and down a bit to sooth the bumps.

_Damn it got cold all of a sudden,_ she thought.

She went to go pick up her blanket. Before she even touched the thick fabric, she felt an arm wrap around her. Alex smirked as Kenshi's fingers lingered around her upper arm. Instinctively, she shifted herself a couple of inches closer to him.

"You're too kind," Alex said to him almost casually.

A side smirk came over Kenshi. "I try."

Even with his arm around her, Alex still felt a bit cold, another small chill running up her spine. Kenshi felt her shake a bit and in reply, he slightly brushed his hand over her arm a bit.

Alex smiled a little and turned her head to him. "You know… you don't have to do that."

"I know," Kenshi said, his head slightly turning towards her direction. "I'm just trying to be… well... nice."

Without really thinking about it, Alex slowly inched her face towards him and she found herself murmuring her next words. "Yeah… it is nice…"

When Alex was close enough, she ended up lightly brushing her lips against his. For that moment, she had closed her eyes, but upon slowly pulling away, she opened her eyes as she realized what she just did.

She was about to say something, but Kenshi, who hadn't expected the kiss either, leaned towards her and pressed his lips against hers, deepening it as he wrapped his other arm around her waist and brought her closer to him. Alex was still for a moment, surprised by his response as she had expected him to reject her, but soon she wrapped her arms around him as well as their kiss went into a gentle rhythm.

As they continued with their kiss, Alex remembered the dream she had a few nights ago. It was nearly similar to the moment that was now going on, only they were in the forest instead of the campfire, and it was she who made the first move.

Before she knew it, Kenshi slowly pulled away, ending the kiss. Alex slightly sighed a little, catching her breath. As she did, Kenshi brought a hand up and softly brushed his index and thumb over a lock of her hair, causing her to smirk a bit. He then shifted himself closer to her as she lied herself down on her back. Keeping his hands on her waist, Kenshi carefully placed himself on top of her. He then bent his head down and claimed her lips again as she wrapped her arms around him.

As they continued, Alex realized that they were definitely going to be in the forest for the remainder of the night.

~~~

**Main Palace**

Xianghua wasn't even sure how long she was struggling to get out of Vega's grip on her. Even when she grew tired, she continued to fight against him, even when he ripped off her headband, choker, and jacket. In her struggle, the bands of her ankle warmers loosened and her blue slippers have since fallen off her feet. Vega was now trying to get her shorts off, only getting them down just below her hips.

A few times, Xianghua had screamed for help in hopes of someone hearing her, but that only provoked Vega to slap her even more. The last slap drew blood from her cheek.

"You pervert!" Xianghua screamed out at him. "Didn't your mother teach you any better?"

This angered Vega as he closed his fist and punched her bleeding cheek causing her to scream much louder this time. The force actually freed Xianghua's right hand and she managed to slap Vega across the face, her nails leaving behind a couple of cuts.

Vega's face turned into a surprise look for a moment as he placed his hand over his slapped cheek. He knew that Xianghua left a little bit of damage on his face.

Big mistake.

Vega's face became more crazed than it was before, causing Xianghua to scream in fear. "YOU BITCH!" he screamed out as he wrapped his hands around her throat and began cutting her oxygen supply. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR TOUCHING MY FACE!"

Xianghua's eyes widened the more oxygen she lost. She grabbed his wrist as she tried to pry his hands off of her. At the same time however, she was beginning to have the feeling that death was soon going to claim her.

_Do I really have to die like this…_ she thought sadly.

It was then that a miracle came as the door to Vega's room was kicked opened, slamming itself against the wall with a loud thud. Vega heard the noise and he quickly stood and turned around, letting Xianghua go in the process. As Xianghua struggled to catch her breath, Vega saw who was at the door.

"Maxi! Mi-na!" Xianghua cried out in between coughs.

Vega looked at the two of them with surprise. Damn it! I can't believe that I forgot to lock the door!

"I knew it!" Mi-na said as she pointed the sharp tip of Scarlet Thunder at Vega. "You're nothing but a sick asshole, just as I suspected!"

"What have you done to her you bastard?!" Maxi growled as he got himself ready to fight Vega.

Vega smirked at the both of them. "Clever… very clever." Then quickly, he flipped backwards a few times in fast speed, getting himself to the balcony. Only Mi-na followed him out, but by the time she got outside, he was nowhere in sight. She looked around to see if he had jumped anywhere in the surrounding area, but to no avail.

"Damn!" Mi-na cried out. "He got away!"

Meanwhile inside, Xianghua finally caught her breath. She got herself to sit up on the bed just as Maxi sat next to her. She looked up at him, noting the worried look on his face. She frowned since she never saw this kind of reaction from him before.

"Are you all right?" Maxi asked her with concern.

From there, Xianghua tried to speak. However, she only found herself choking her words as the emotions she managed to hold back during her struggle began to finally take over. Not wanting Maxi to see her face, she covered it with her hands just as the tears escaped her eyes. Upon the first shake from her shoulders, Maxi slowly wrapped his arms around his friend. Xianghua leaned her forehead into his chest, now crying beyond her control.

Mi-na walked backed into the room and saw the pair on the bed. Xianghua cried in Maxi's arms as he slowly rubbed one hand up and down her back. His face was written with many emotions… guilt, grief, but more than anything, anger.

The three of them weren't sure how long it was before Xianghua finally pulled back. She pulled her hands away, revealing her tear-stained face. She took a deep breath. "Please... I want to get out of here…"

Then, Maxi took off the white jacket that he was wearing before placing it around Xianghua's shoulder. If left his torso bare, but he didn't give a damn, especially about the cold. He sighed to himself as he realized that today was indeed a very long day for him.

"Come on," he said to Xianghua. "Let's get out of this disgusting room."

Xianghua agreed as she stood herself up. Maxi kept an arm around her as they, along with Mi-na leading the way, left the room to return to the cave.


	48. Chapter Forty-Seven

**Cave**

All was quiet in the cave when Rose woke up the next morning. While everyone else was sleeping, she decided to take the opportunity to make herself some tea in the lounge area. Whenever she made tea, a drink that was already relaxing to her, she liked it when all was quiet and peaceful.

She took the time to make the tea before sitting down at the small table with the mug in her hands. She managed to take a few sips before she saw the curtain to the room open. Raiden walked into the room and it only took him a second to notice that Rose was in the room.

"Good morning Rose," Raiden greeted.

Rose nodded. "Good morning."

Sighing a bit, Raiden walked to the table and sat at the chair in front of her. "I don't know if you know, but we had a situation last night-"

"Xianghua," Rose finished for him.

Raiden nodded. "Of course… you're psychic, so I figured you'd know."

Rose smirked. "Actually I didn't find out on my own. Kilik and Hwang reported Xianghua's absence to me when Maxi and Mi-na went out to look for her."

"Seems that they got to you first," Raiden replied. "Anyway, they were able to get her back here safely and she was treated for her cuts and bruises. Although she'll be traumatized for a while, she'll be fine none the less."

"I'm just glad to hear that nothing worse happened," Rose said. "Do they have the name of the man who attacked her? Kilik and Hwang had not confirmed that with me last night."

"All I know is that his name is Vega, a tall blonde man who has a thing with giving beautiful girls roses."

Rose's eyes widened immediately. "Vega Fabio De Cerna?"

Raiden eyed her. "You know him?"

Rose took a quick sip of her tea before placing the cup down on the table. "He once worked for the organization Shadaloo. They were a criminal organization, mainly known for smuggling drugs and weapons around the world. However, not many knew that they were much more than that. They had so much technology, thanks to their scientists. Their leader was Bison. He called himself a dictator and had plans to rule Earthrealm. He even planned numerous times to kidnap fighters to make them either join them or die. Sometimes, he would brainwash them entirely so that they would submit to his services."

"If I had known about this, I would've helped," Raiden mentioned. "However, the Elder Gods had me concerned with other issues."

Rose nodded. "Not everything can be detected by even the most powerful of people." She sighed a little. "The most disturbing of them all was his doll program. He kidnapped girls from around the world just for them to submit to his deeds, sending them out on missions and… other things."

Rose took another sip of her tea before continuing. "Thankfully, most of them have been freed… including one of our chosen ones, Cammy White."

Raiden looked at her in a bit of surprise. "She was one of them?"

"Yes," Rose replied. "She has no memory of before and during that time. The only thing she knows is that her body was meant to exist for Bison soul if ever his current body was destroyed. However, she had escaped, thanks to me, before that could happened."

A more surprising look came over Raiden's face. "You saved Cammy?"

Rose nodded. "It's a long story, but I had used my soul power to purge her alter ego, 'Killer Bee,' as she was known then. It's been five years since. I still want to keep that a secret so keep it between you and I."

Raiden nodded. "Will do. There is one thing I want to know. You mentioned that only most have been freed. Are you saying that there are still some girls being under control?"

"Until yesterday, I wasn't so sure," Rose answered. "I had tried detecting their souls during my tarot readings, but I could never pinpoint them. However, at my match yesterday, the young woman I fought, Viper… she had the same energy as the other dolls when they were being controlled. I tried to do a reading last night, but to no avail, but I'm going to keep trying. I'm hoping to find her physically so that I can try to figure out more about her and perhaps free her the way I did for Cammy."

"Let's hope for the best then," Raiden said. "So what has happened to Bison and Shadaloo?"

"All we know is that it collapsed completely. We know that Bison is dead, but even to me, no one is sure who killed him." She sighed deeply. _And I'm quite surprised that I didn't die that day… considering that the good energy he once had has since formed into me…_ Yes, it was an important piece of information, but Rose decided not to tell Raiden about it. Perhaps one day she will.

Raiden smiled as a thought came to him. "You know… it's a good thing Bison and Shao Kahn didn't form an alliance."

A smile came over Rose's face as well, deciding to make light out of the conversation. "Well, I bet they would've got along much better than us."

Raiden looked at her with surprise. "I see that you're growing on me."

"Don't get your hopes up or I may throw another mug at you," Rose laughed.

Raiden raised an eyebrow with humor. "Which reminds me. Everyone has finally noticed that the mugs are shorthanded. I got a few complaints for the last couple of days."

Rose placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes gleaming with playful innocence. "Now I didn't throw _that_ many mugs, did I?"

That's when they heard the curtain open. Raiden and Rose turned in that direction and saw Cody and Yun just walking into the room, but had stopped in their tracks upon seeing their leaders.

"Oh crap," Cody said with a sigh. "We better get out of here before they start throwing more mugs at each other."

"Or what remains of them," Yun replied as the two of them quickly left the room.

Once they left, Raiden and Rose looked at each other with blank expressions. Silence was in the air for a few seconds before Rose spoke. "Well well, I guess we're not good enough for anyone these days."

Raiden laughed a little. "Well, if it wasn't for you starting our arguments, then the chosen ones wouldn't get scared around us."

A serious look came over Rose's face. "What do you mean I've been starting the fights?"

Raiden noted the new look on her face and sighed. "Let's face it Rose… you always have something to bring up to me."

Rose placed her hands on her hips. "That's because half the time, you act irresponsible."

"How many times do I have to explain myself about that? I'm a God for God's sake!"

"Yeah yeah and I'm psycho and… damn it Raiden, look what you made me do!"

Raiden chuckled a little. "But I'm afraid it's true my dear."

"Don't call me dear!"

"I can call you whatever I want! Damn it woman, you have caused me nothing but stress since I met you!"

"Me causing stress? At least my hair hasn't turned white! HA! I've been saving that one for a week!"

"Oh yeah," Raiden began to retaliate. "At least I'm not sexually frustrated! HA! I've been saving that one loooong before I even met you!"

In anger, Rose picked up her cup, which was now three quarters empty. "YOU BASTARD!"

"Here we go again," Raiden said as he teleported away just as Rose threw the mug at him, sending it crashing to the floor… again.

"When will he learn?" Rose growled in frustrated as she stomped out of the lounge room.

~~~

**Cave, Two Hours Later**

"Well the good news is that Xianghua was able to rest overnight," said Maxi as he and Hwang walked through the hall of the cave. In Hwang's hand was a mug filled with hot chocolate (it was the only mug he found. It was dirty so Hwang was forced to take the time to clean it up).

"That's good to know," Hwang replied. "She definitely deserves plenty of rest after last night."

"Tell me about it."

Soon, the two of them reached Xianghua's room and opened the curtain. Kilik and Mi-na were already in the room, sitting on either side of her bed. Xianghua herself was sitting up in her bed wearing a heavy sweater that was provided for her. Despite the bandage over the left side of her face, she seemed to look better than last night.

"Hey you," Maxi said to her as and Hwang walked further into the room.

"We hope you like hot chocolate," Hwang said as he handed her the cup.

Xianghua smirked a little as she took the cup in her hands. "Yes, I do love hot chocolate. Thank you very much." She then took a quick sip before looking up at her friends. "You guys are too good for me." She sighed a little before continuing. "I still curse at myself for leaving the cave grounds alone. Raiden and Rose sure do have a good reason for us to not venture off the cave grounds by ourselves."

"I'm sure you're not the only one," Kilik said. "I admit, I've done it a couple of times myself."

Mi-na wagged a finger at Kilik. "Someone's been a bad boy."

"You've done it once or twice too," Hwang reminded her.

Mina spat her tongue at him. "So what? It was only to get food in the main palace for crying out loud."

"Even so," Xianghua said to her. "Look what happened to me. If it weren't for you guys, I could've been either raped or possibly killed."

Kilik placed an arm around her. "You know we're here for you."

Xianghua smiled a little. "Thanks."

Kilik then sighed a bit. "Actually, I'm about to continue with breaking the rules. I'm going to go to the palace to find Jade. I sort of left her behind after I rescued the new guy Paul and I still feel bad about it."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you," Maxi assured him. "I mean, it was about a man's life after all."

"That's true," Kilik replied as he stood up. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Be safe," Xianghua said to him.

Kilik turned to her and managed to smile. "I will," he replied before leaving.

"Ah, nothing like breaking rules," said Mi-na. "Raiden and Rose are so going to kill us."

"If Rose doesn't kill Raiden first," Hwang said. "Come on Mi-na, we're already behind our training time."

"Rats," Mi-na muttered. She then turned to Xianghua and gave her a hug. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Xianghua returned the hug. "At least you'll be with Hwang so at least that makes me feel better."

"I'm sure Kilik will be fine," Mi-na assured her. She then stood up and took her leave with Hwang.

Once everyone left, Maxi walked over to Xianghua and sat next to her on the bed. Xianghua looked up at him. "Thank you again Maxi. I wish I could repay you and Mi-na for rescuing me."

Maxi wrapped an arm around her. "There's no need to repay me. Knowing that you're okay is enough for me. You're like a little sister to me. I'd be crushed if anything happened to you."

"Yeah," Xianghua sighed. "Say, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to try to get some more rest."

"All right, you do that," Maxi said getting himself up. "I'll be around the cave all day so I'll be sure to check up on you again in a little while." He then stepped out of the room and closed the curtain behind him.

Xianghua slowly placed the mug given to her down on the floor behind lying back on the ground. _Everything is so hopeless right now,_ she thought sadly. _It's not just what happened to me last night. It's also the fact that the two guys I want have no interest in taking our relationship further. One is out chasing another girl and the other only sees me as a little sister…_

She closed her eyes then, wanting to get more sleep. As she did, Xianghua decided that, from this day forward, that she was going to stop chasing guys and let them come to her. Especially after last night, it was for the best.

Nearby, Paul Phoenix looked through a mirror that was given to him by one of the girls in the cave a while ago. After waking up this morning, he felt that it was time to groom himself. Only needing tons of gel and a razor, he was back to the way he looked only a few weeks ago. His ingrown stubble was shaven off and his long dirty blonde hair was back to standing over his head.

"Now that I finally got that done," Paul said to himself. "It's time to get me some breakfast."

He placed the mirror down on the bed in the room that he was assigned to last night by Raiden. He then stood up before leaving the room, closing the curtain behind him. Just as he turned around, he ended up bumping into someone, both of them letting out an 'oof' upon impact.

Paul pulled back a bit as did the man who bumped into him as well. Immediately, Paul noticed that the middle-aged man had the same hairstyle that he did, only it was a lighter colored blonde and more shorter with the ends spreading outward a bit.

The stranger spoke then. "You must be the new guy Paul Phoenix. I'm Colonel Guile." He then placed a hand out.

Paul grabbed the man's hand and they shook. "Good to meet you, Colonel." After pulling his hand back, he ran his finger through his hair on the side of his head. "Do you like my hair?"

Guile looked up at Paul's hair, nothing that they had similar taste, before shrugging a bit. "Um, it's nice I guess. Well it was good meeting you."

"Same here," Paul said. As Guile passed him, Paul raised an arm, happy that his old hair style was back in business. _Yeah! I still got it!_ He then walked down the hall towards the lounge to get breakfast.

Meanwhile, Guile managed to walk a few more feet through the hall going the opposite direction before stopping in front of one of the rooms. "Sonya, are you in there?" he called out.

"Just a minute Guile," Sonya called out from behind the curtain. "I'm just getting my jacket on, then I'll be right out."

Guile sighed a little before looking at his wristwatch. _Hmm, ten o'clock in the morning already,_ he thought.

A few more seconds passed before the curtain opened and Sonya stepped out. "Hey Guile. What can I do for you today?"

Guile sighed again. "This is your first time venturing out of your room for the day isn't it?"

"I didn't sleep in that late, did I?" Sonya asked.

"No, that's not the problem," Guile replied.

Sonya let her head tilt back a bit with a sigh. "Oh no, not another problem..."

"A minor one I'm hoping," Guile said. "I'm finally getting the paperwork done and there's just one thing I need from Walker. However, I can't seem to find her this morning."

Sonya's head immediately tilted back to it's normal position. "You can't find Alex?"

Guile shook his head. "At this point, I believe that she's down at the palace for breakfast."

Sonya quickly pointed an index finger upward as though she just came up with an idea. "Hold on just a sec!" She then jogged passed Guile and headed down the hall. Guile followed Sonya, who finally stopped a few rooms down. She quickly pulled the curtain to the room. Upon peering into the room, Sonya sighed as she realized that no one was there.

_Damn, I was hoping she could've sneaked in there overnight and had fallen asleep next to him,_ Sonya thought laughing in her mind.

Guile caught up to her at that point. "Nice try, but I already checked to see if Kenshi was in there. I'm sure that the both of them went to breakfast."

"I better hope so," Sonya replied feeling a bit worried.

"Well worry no more," a female voice said behind her. Sonya and Guile turned their heads and saw Alex and Kenshi behind them. They both immediately noted the fact that they were both carrying blankets in their arms as well as the fact that both of their hairs were wet, indicating that they were at the hot springs not too long ago.

"Oh good you're here," Guile said calmly.

"Hold on just a sec," Sonya cut in. "At this point, I can guess that the two of you were gone for quite a while. Where were you?"

Both of them didn't answer immediately. Alex's eyes shifted back and forth a couple of times before answering. "Eh… it's funny really. I couldn't sleep last night so we both went out for a walk-"

"With blankets?"

"Well it was cold you know!" Alex protested. "Anyway, we ended up falling asleep in the forest overnight. As you can tell from our wet hair, we just got out of the springs."

"It's true," Kenshi added.

Sonya shifted her eyes then. Immediately, she noticed them both shifting a little bit uncomfortably where they stood. She tried not to smile mischievously over that.

_You two did A LOT more than that last night!_ she thought. _It's about damn time! Took them over a year to figure it out!_

"Well the important thing is that you two are safe," Guile said. "Did you eat yet?"

"Not yet," Alex replied. "We were about to head down to the main palace in a little bit."

"How about I make us something in the lounge," Guile offered her. "I'm finally finishing those paperwork and the only thing I need from you is information about a mission you had when you were stationed in China."

Alex looked at him a bit surprised. "Wow… I thought you had that down already."

"I should train anyway," Kenshi mentioned. "I have a match to prepare for tonight."

"Oh yeah," Sonya said. "What arena?"

"Underground lair, seven o'clock."

"That's what some call the night battles," Guile said. "Heard they're quite popular. I'll be there."

Kenshi then took his leave, but not before gently placing his hand over Alex's shoulder for a brief moment, causing a smirk to appear on her face.

Sonya waited until Kenshi was far away before a devilish grin came over her face. "You're blushing."

Alex eyed her. "Be quiet," she said as she began following Guile to the lounge room. "And no, I'm not giving details, even if you are my Captain."

"Oh rats," Sonya sighed as she snapped her fingers. "Oh well, I tried. But I'll know soon enough!"

Alex then spat her tongue at her, with Sonya quickly doing the same. They then laughed a bit before Alex headed down to the lounge.

~~~

**Cave Grounds, Three Hours Later**

After having some lunch, Julia decided to take a moment to set up the campfire outside. There was already a collection of twigs and firewood from inside the cave so she was grateful that she didn't have to venture off the cave grounds at all, especially since not a lot of people were around at the moment.

_Well at least I can relax here by myself,_ she thought as she sat back to watch the fire grow a bit after getting the twigs to light up.

Just as she took a deep sigh in relaxation, she saw someone from the corner of her eyes. Julia shifted her heard and smirked a bit upon seeing Ryu coming over towards her. Ryu was looking another direction for a moment, but upon turning his head, he noticed Julia sitting by the campfire. Since he hadn't really seen her around the last couple of days, he decided to go over to her.

"Hey Julia," he said as he sat next to her.

Julia smiled. "Hey Ryu. Did you get back from lunch?"

"I did," Ryu replied.

Julia then raised an eyebrow. "You weren't alone were you?"

"No, not at all," Ryu replied. "I was with Ken, Chun Li, Lei, Cammy, Lita, and McCoy at lunch. The six of them just went off to the hot springs. I was already there this morning so I decided to come back here."

"Ah okay. Well as long as you weren't by yourself, it's good. So, how was the food?"

"The same as usual," Ryu replied. "They just served some sandwiches and pasta salads. Well, that's just what I can remember."

"Well with all that food, I'm not surprised," Julia said.

Ryu nodded. "Yeah. So, um… how have you and Mika been since what everyone calls… the 'infamous match?'"

Julia sighed a bit. "And _that_ is why I've been keeping to myself lately. Oh well… but any who, the funny thing is that ever since that day, we haven't spoken to each other since. Whenever we saw each other, we just go our own way and pretend the other doesn't exist. It's really the best we can do."

"I see," Ryu said. "Well to be honest, I wish that the both of you can leave it behind and start over."

"Maybe some day," Julia said. She then decided to change the subject as an idea came to her. "Say, um… later this evening, do you want to get off these grounds and go do something? I kind of need a break from being here, but with the rule and stuff, I do want someone to come with me."

For a moment, Ryu debated in his mind whether or not to go. However, the decision only took a few seconds for him to make, once he realized that Julia just needed a friend and he happened to be the one she chose.

"Sure," Ryu finally said. "But just to let you know, I have to do some training since I have a match tomorrow."

"Really?" Julia said. "Where and when?"

"Courtyard. I'm scheduled to be there at two o'clock in the afternoon." Ryu then looked up towards the sky. "Hard to believe that the last day of Round Five is tomorrow."

Julia smirked. "Already? The later rounds are definitely going by fast. Well in that case, since I lost, may I join you in your training?"

"You sure you're up to the challenge?" Ryu said, smirking more.

Julia smiled. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

Unknown to them, Mika happened to walk by the area, waiting for her friends to come out of the cave so that they could all go to lunch together. As she did, she noticed Ryu and Julia talking to each other by the lit campfire. Immediately, thoughts of everything that happened with her and the both of them came to her, from the moment she met Ryu on the ship to Outworld to her infamous match with Julia.

_We were so childish throughout this whole thing,_ Mika thought about her and Julia. _I may have won the battle… but it now seems that she has won the war…_

From there, as she walked away, Mika made a decision. She decided to accept the fact that between both her and Julia, Ryu liked Julia more, considering that he seemed to talk to her more than he talked to Mika.

To Mika, it was time to leave her and Julia's bitter rivalry behind and move on.

~~~

**Nearby On The Cave Grounds**

"That was a fun spar," said Yang as he and his brother Yun began heading back towards the cave after spending an hour training in the forest.

"Indeed it was," replied Yun as he adjusted the blue and yellow cap on his head. "Say, let's head to lunch at the palace before all the fresh goes."

"Not a bad idea," Yang agreed.

_Damn I wish I had my skateboard or else I could've been there in five minutes,_ Yun thought to himself. He then looked at his brother. "Say… how have you and Maki been these days?"

Yang nodded. "We're doing pretty good. As a matter of fact, we've been discussing over what will happen once we return to Earth, considering the fact that I live in China and she lives in Japan."

Yun's eyes widened a bit. "You're not going to move to Japan and leave me, Yin, and Grandpa behind are you?"

Yang smiled. "Actually, we're going to travel back and forth until we make a decision. Besides, even if we do make a decision, it may be a few months before she could do so since she wants to complete her training before becoming a full Bushin ninja."

"You sure you can afford all those trips in the meantime?"

"We'll be fine, we make enough money to support our trips. It's not like we're traveling halfway around the world. A flight from Hong Kong to Osaka only takes about three in a half hours." Yang then sighed a bit, deciding to change the subject. "Damn… since this morning I've been feeling a bit uneasy."

Yun raised an eyebrow. "Maki didn't mention having a family did she?"

"No no, that's not what I mean," Yang replied, deciding not to mention Maki's family situation just yet. "Actually, I've been getting a bit of a bad feeling, but it's probably over nothing."

"Do you know why?" Yun asked curiously.

"Sort of," Yang answered. "I had a dream last night… it was night time and I happened to make my way up on the rooftop above our apartment and the old restaurant. I saw two shadows fighting and there were so many bright lights that I couldn't really tell what happened. All I know was that in the end, the two of them seemed to talk for a moment before one of them jumped away. A few moments later, the other shadow collapsed and I remember figuring out that this one had died." He then sighed after telling his dream. "I don't know why it's bothering me."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Yun assured him. "Maybe you're just homesick. After all, you were on the rooftop in your dreams."

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, maybe." He then looked at Yun while smiling. "Say, I just had a thought… whatever happened to that girl Anna you were seeing."

Yun smiled as he fixed his cap again. "Still have my crush on her. We've only seen each other twice since my 'big night' with her."

Yang sighed. "I see you didn't heed Nina's warning."

"Nah," Yun chuckled. "Honestly, I think it was all out of jealousy. I don't why she got so worked up over it."

"Apparently they know each other somehow," Yang reminded him. "Just be careful, just in case she's right."

"Yeah yeah," Yun said. His smile grew wider. "You know what… it's been a week since I last visited her. Maybe I'll swing by her room tonight. Mind escorting me?"

Yang sighed. "Maybe," he only replied not liking the idea. However, if it will make his brother happy, then so be it.

~~~

**Over Two Walking Hours Away**

"Seems like not too much activity is going on at the moment," said Nina as she looked through some binoculars.

Raven, also looking through a pair of binoculars, nodded. "Agreed," he said.

Removing the objects from their faces, they sank down lower behind the large boulder they were hiding behind. Since late this morning, the two of them ventured off for the assignment Raiden and Rose had given them… check up on activities at this particular fortress, where a supposed anonymous tip gave them the clue that this was where the Emperor Shao Kahn was hiding. They had arrived in the area only an hour ago and are now underway with their work.

Nina looked up at the sky, noting the fact that the sun was beginning to set for the day. "So what's the plan?" she asked.

"Eight o'clock, we go in," Raven suggested. "Rose mentioned that Shao Kahn watches the matches that take place in the Underground Lair around that time."

Nina looked at him with a bit of surprise. "My last match before my loss was at that lair. I saw no sign of him."

"There's a balcony hidden from view unless you know where you're looking," Raven mentioned. "Rose happened to see it while scouting for new recruits a few nights ago. The matches there usually take place between three to four hours starting at seven o'clock depending on the length of all the matches."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "So then why are we going in at eight o'clock instead of seven?"

"By then everything should be calm," Raven replied. "And it will be much easier for us to go in. We'll have to limit ourselves to two hours once we go inside."

"I see," Nina said. "All right, we'll go for that plan."

Then silence fell between the two, neither one of them not having anything else to say. Neither one of them were ever really social people mainly because they considered themselves workaholics.

However, after five minutes, Raven decided to start a conversation. "So… what kind of clients have you worked for in the past?"

Nina looked at him for a moment, seeing that he wasn't looking at her when he spoke. However, she didn't really mind as she looked ahead as well. "To be quite honest, I don't really remember. I've been doing this… business for two years and dealt with numerous clients. Pretty much they were secret organizations and mafias."

"I see," Raven said.

Silence lingered again, but only for a few seconds this time as a question came to Nina. "Why do they call you Raven?"

Still keeping the same expression and tone, Raven replied. "It's because some call me 'The Dark Talon of Death.' I don't remember where the title came from, but it obviously developed after some time." He then looked at her. "Besides… if I told you my real name, I'd have to kill you."

A smirk came over Nina's face. It was something she normally said, but now it was the other way around. For once in her life, she felt amused.

_Maybe if we keep this up for the next few hours, this may end up being interesting,_ she thought.

~~~

**Underground Lair**

A match was going as Sonya entered the lair. "Big crowd tonight," she said aloud.

Guile, who stood next to her, nodded in agreement. "Let's try to get as close as we can to the front." He then turned behind him to face Alex and Kenshi. "Let's head in."

The four of them began walking into the arena then. As they did, Kenshi was able to sense the other people that were there in the arena thanks to his keen senses which he developed after he went blind. For a moment, he wasn't able to recognize anyone in the room… that was until he recognized one that was all too familiar to him.

His long-time enemy Shang Tsung was in the room!

_So,_ he thought to himself. _I'm guess you host your matches here as well._

Since the tournament began, Kenshi knew that Shang Tsung hosted the matches at the Courtyard and the swordsman has yet to fight there. He knew about the underground lair which he heard that the hosts vary… the sorcerer just happened to be hosting tonight. Even now, Kenshi was trying to control his anger as he thought about what the sorcerer had done to him and his ancestors all those years ago.

He then realized something. If the information he was given was indeed correct, Shang Tsung was definitely working for Shao Kahn. After all, Kenshi happened to be the one to find out the Emperor's actual location… when he had found Alex in the dungeons below days ago.

Kenshi didn't want to believe it, but it may be possible that Shang Tsung knew of her.

Quickly, he stopped in his tracks, reaching his hand to Alex's shoulder and stopped her from walking as well. She turned her head to him a bit confused. "What's up?" she asked.

"Listen, I need you to do me a favor," he replied. "I can't explain it right now, so I want you to go along with it. I want you to keep yourself hidden from the host of the tournament. Stay behind me until I go up, then go behind someone else, I don't care who… just don't let him see you. And no matter what happens to me in the ring, don't go near me. Wait until Guile, Sonya, and I get out of the arena."

Briefly, Alex looked over at the ring and saw that Shang Tsung was the host of the matches tonight. In her mind, she was sort of starting to get a connection. When they first met Ermac, he had wanted Kenshi to take care of him in which Kenshi said that he'd be honored to slay him. Now came this…

Alex was beginning to believe that Kenshi may had some sort of past with the sorcerer, but she wasn't about to jump to conclusions yet, just in case she was wrong.

"I won't ask any questions for now," she said. "But eventually, I'll want to know what's going on."

Kenshi nodded. "When the right time comes, you'll know." He then briefly kissed her forehead before heading to where Guile and Sonya were with Alex following him less than a foot away, pulling her sweater's hood over her head as a precaution.

Soon the match that was going on ended and the two fighters cleared out. Once that was done, Shang Tsung stood up from his throne to set up the next match.

"Asuka Kazama!" he called out.

Upon hearing her name being called, Asuka jumped into the ring as her friends cheered on for her. She got herself to the middle of the ring, ready to fight.

However, unknown to her, she was about to receive a _big_ surprise.

A smirk came over Shang Tsung's face as he announced her opponent. "Sheeva!"

That was the moment when everyone heard a rhythmic rumble beneath their feet. The viewers looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Soon, they spotted a tall female figure sporting four arms coming from one of the side doors. The entire arena fell silent almost immediately. As she walked forward, those in her path quickly moved away afraid of what may happen if they indeed get in her way.

In the ring, Asuka's dark eyes widened in fear, feeling suddenly frozen where she stood. _What gave them the idea of putting me in a match with_ her! she thought feeling frightened.

Soon, Sheeva was in the ring, stopping in her tracks once she was a yard away from Asuka. A smirk came over Sheeva's black lips upon seeing her opponent. _Seems that Shao Kahn wants me to have an easy match for my first round,_ she thought feeling a bit delighted. _I just hope that it'll be more challenging after this._

Despite her fears, Asuka mustered up whatever bravery she had left, getting herself into a fighting stance.

Sheeva grinned as she stretched her four arms out. "I guess you're ready for me to crush you, little girl."

Though she had a blank expression, Asuka was able to hear herself swallow hard.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

Asuka clutched her fists. She then took a deep breath before running over to where Sheeva stood. When she was a couple of feet away, she jumped forward to perform a flying kick. She managed to land the blow, but it only made Sheeva stagger a bit. Asuka then tried landing a few punches on her, but it only brought the same results.

_Damn it!_ she cried out in her mind. _What will it take to take her down?_

When the chance came, Sheeva grabbed on to Asuka with her two lower arms before lifting her up to her face level. Now the fear was written over Asuka's face.

Using her upper hands, Sheeva placed one hand under her chin, then used her other hand to wag her finger. "Tsk tsk tsk… nice try… but this match has long been over."

She then smacked Asuka across the face four times. Then, she swung her in two full circles before letting go, sending Asuka flying out of the ring… and ironically crashing into her friends Mika, Maki, Sakura, and Cassandra. All five of them let out loud _'oofs'_ before crashing into the floor.

"Winner: Sheeva!" Shang Tsung announced.

Instead of normal clapping, loud boos were heard. To the viewers, not only did the match end too quickly, but they believed that Sheeva used a cheap tactic to win. Sheeva then let out a loud roar, shutting everyone up before taking her leave, returning through the side door she came out of.

"Well that match sucked… poor Asuka," said Alex while standing behind Kenshi. She had ended up watching the match by peeking over his shoulder with her blue eyes. After the statement, she shifted her eyes to him. "If you face her in the next round, you better win."

"That is if I even win this match," Kenshi reminded her.

"… I knew that."

Afterward, two more matches passed within twenty minutes. Once the fighters from the second fight cleared out, Shang Tsung called out the first of two fighters for the next match.

"Kenshi!"

Alex briefly touched his back. "Good luck," she said to him before taking one giant step to her left so that she was now behind Guile.

Both Sonya and Guile also wished him luck. He nodded once to all three of them before silently passing through the three rows of viewers who stood in front of him.

Shang Tsung watched as the man he encountered years ago step into the ring. Kenshi wasted no time as he walked over to the sorcerer's throne, stopping a few feet away. Despite Kenshi being blind, the two of them seemed to have a stare down for a moment.

A smirk then came over the sorcerer's face. He then spoke just low enough so only the two of them could hear. "I see that you've made it quite far in the tournament. Very impressive."

Kenshi ignored his words. "You just remember this… when this tournament is over, this score will be settled."

"Strong words, swordsman. Just be patient until then… you may have your wish. Right now, you have a match to attend to."

Shang Tsung then called out for Kenshi's opponent. "Havik!"

The Chaosrealm native Havik jumped into the ring then, eager to fight. Kenshi turned into the direction where his opponent was.

Havik stretched his left hand out, cracks being heard from his bones. He noted the fact that his opponent wore a red blindfold over his eyes, obviously having no sight.

"Well blind one," Havik said to Kenshi. "I _look_ forward to our match."

Kenshi ignored him as he got into a fighting stance. Before Havik got into a stance, Shang Tsung had called for the match to begin.

_You better win this one Havik,_ Shang Tsung thought. _Or I'll have your head on a silver platter!_

Havik was just beginning to run over to Kenshi, who placed his hands on either side of his head, surrounding himself with a light blue aura. Using his telekinesis, he quickly maneuvered himself towards Havik as though he was actually teleporting. Once he was close enough, he quickly performed a roundhouse, forcing Havik to stumble sideways.

Once he regained balanced, Havik spread his arms out, his hands clenched. He twisted his torso quickly. His fists managed to connect and Kenshi was forced to stumble back, nearly losing his balance.

Havik straightened himself out before running over to Kenshi. The two of them then exchanged some punches and kicks for a minute, both of them seem quite even. Then, Kenshi managed to grab a hold of his fist and the both of them found themselves trying to push the other back.

"You're quite good, blind one," Havik said. "But, that doesn't mean that you'll win. If it will interest you, however, I did kill a man last night."

Not caring, Kenshi managed to get the upper hand and pushed him back a bit. As Havik staggered, Kenshi punched the air twice, his hands surrounded in a blue aura. Even from a far distance, Havik felt the impact on his face. Kenshi then kicked the air, Havik feeling a hard force in his stomach that forced him to the floor.

Havik then rolled back before getting himself back on his feet. "Clever… but can you _see_ this?"

Havik then bent his knees backwards. He then shot his arms out as a blue projectile came out of him. Kenshi was able to sense the low flying projectile coming towards him and he was able to avoid being hit by jumping and somersault forward over it.

Once his feet were back on the ground, Kenshi waited until Havik straightened himself back up. He then ran over to him and the two exchanged various moves again. During that, Kenshi was able to land a few punches on Havik before grabbing a hold of his neck. Using his telekinesis, he sent a bit of a surge through his opponent and Havik suddenly felt paralyzed before he felt a sheer pain in his neck. Once the tele-surge was complete, Kenshi tossed Havik aside.

After landing on the ground, Havik rubbed his neck. "That was cool," he said before slowly standing himself up. He then quickly slid himself towards Kenshi and performed a kick to his stomach, sending him staggering back again.

Quickly after, Kenshi reached behind his back and drew his katana out. Havik was just about to take out his morning star, which was still stained with Adon's blood, but then Kenshi suddenly let his sword quickly float towards Havik. Using hand motions, Kenshi quickly maneuver the sword, the speed forcing Havik to dodge from it. When he noticed that the blade cut small holes into the fabric of his clothes, he started running around the ring trying to avoid the sword.

Havik wasn't sure how long he was running away from the sword, but eventually he found himself close to Kenshi and he was able to deliver a hard punch to his face, the force causing Kenshi to lose his focus and the sword dropped to the ground.

_That's it,_ Havik thought to himself. _I'm done with this one._ He then looked around where he stood, even looking at the viewers in the front row. Then, he spotted one with a holster around his waist… and saw a certain shiny toy.

Quickly, Havik ran over to the man and quickly grabbed the gun from him.

"Hey!" the man called out. "That's not even-"

To shut him up, Havik punched the man in the face, sending him to the floor. Kenshi was just standing himself up a few feet from him when Havik turned around and aimed the gun at him.

"May Chaos reign forever!" he called out before pulling the trigger.

Those who knew Havik had a gun by that point held their breath. However, a _click!_ was heard instead of a _bang!_ Havik continued pressing on the trigger, but then realized that the gun had no bullets in it at all.

"I tried to tell you there were no bullets in that!" the owner of the gun called out.

Havik looked up at Kenshi then, who stood there with no emotion on his face. Then, a very angry Shang Tsung stood up from his throne behind him.

"Havik you idiot!" Shang Tsung yelled. "No firearms are allowed in the tournament!" He then spoke louder for everyone to hear. "Due to the use of firearms, bullets or no bullets, Havik has been disqualified from the tournament. Therefore, I grant Kenshi permission to move on to Round Six."

_Much to my dismay,_ the sorcerer finished off in his head.

The Cleric of Chaos shrugged after the announcement. "Oh well," he said. Then unexpectedly, he chucked the gun forward, which ended up smacking Kenshi on the nose. He had not expected Havik to do that either and, with no time to counter, having no choice but to be knocked back to the ground by the force.

"HA!" Havik called out while laughing maniacally. "Bet you didn't _see_ that one coming!" He then turned around to leave the arena, stretching his arms out (making his bones crack again) in the process. "I never cared about this tournament anyway, so it's not a total loss."

Once he was out of the ring, Guile and Sonya jumped in to check on Kenshi. Under his wishes, Alex stayed where she was, hiding herself behind another tall person. For a moment, she was scared out of her wits, having bitten her lower lip once she saw Havik with the gun… but she'd rather Kenshi came out of the match with a broken nose than dead.

Meanwhile, Guile and Sonya reached Kenshi, who was just sitting himself up. "Are you okay?" Sonya asked him.

Kenshi managed to get himself up despite his nose bleeding. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

Guile sighed a bit. "What a night… come on, let's get back to the cave and take care of that."

Kenshi nodded in agreement. Soon, the three of them made their way of the ring with Alex following them out not long after.


	49. Chapter Forty-Eight

**Outdoor Hot Springs**

While relaxing in the hot springs, Sonya Blade looked up at Outworld's skyline. The sun had already set behind the tall mountains making the sky a navy blue color. She noted the fact that there were no stars in sight, just like it should back in Earthrealm.

_Makes me miss home,_ she thought to herself.

"What are you thinking about?" a female voice said next to her.

Sonya turned to her left and noticed the Interpol detective Chun Li just getting into the springs slowly, letting herself submerge into the hot steaming water until she was covered from the neck down.

"Nothing really," Sonya replied. "Just thinking about how strange it'll be when we get back to Earthrealm… you know, trying to get used to that environment again."

"I know what you mean," Chun Li agreed. "But getting used to being home again may be more quick… since it's a place we've been in our whole lives."

"True," Sonya said.

The two fell silent for a moment, both of the relaxed by the heat the springs offered. It was only the two of them there, a rare occurrence for anyone. However, it was most likely because it was around the time when rarely anyone was here due to the darkness that surrounded them.

After about two minutes, Sonya decided to break the silence. "So, how have things been with you lately?"

Chun Li smiled a little. "Things are going pretty good, especially with Lei."

A warm smile came on Sonya's face in reply. "You two and everyone else, at least it feels like it to me. Is he treating you good?"

"He has always been, so there shouldn't be a reason for it to be any different now," Chun Li answered. "Yesterday, he gave me a handful of wildflowers for no reason… had a cute little blue bow around the stems too."

"Awe, that's sweet," Sonya said.

"So," Chun Li began to say. "How are things going with you? I know Lei and I see you and the team a lot since we're working together, but we don't really get the chance to socialize."

Sonya thought for a moment before answering. "Well, not too much has been going on really… Guile finally got those paperwork done, the Delta Red team are still on their investigation, Wagner is still being the dork that he is, and I think Alex and Kenshi are getting a _little_ too close if you know what I mean."

Chun-Li chuckled a bit. "Seems like Lei and I aren't the only one. However, do you think your superiors will be okay with the two of them fraternizing?"

“Kenshi's a free agent, so it won't be a problem,” the Captain mentioned. “Besides, it happens all the time with us military soldiers. We just have to be more secretive about it.”

“I see.”

"Speaking of Kenshi," Sonya continued. "He won his match last night, although it was by disqualification. The moron he went against tried to fire an empty gun at him… then I think he got frustrated and he hurled the gun at Kenshi's nose. It only left a bruise and a cut so he only needed an old-fashioned ice-pack."

Chun Li sighed a little. "Well, at least one of us in the military or police force is able to make it this far into the tournament. I already can't believe tomorrow is the last day of Round Five!"

Sonya looked at her with surprise. "Already? Feels like only yesterday when only Round Four was starting!"

"Tell me about it," Chun Li agreed.

The blonde agent took a deep sigh as a thought came to her. "After all this time, we've found nothing on either the Black Dragon or former members of Shadaloo. I'm starting to think that it's all a joke and that we've been doing nothing but chasing someone who's probably not even here."

"I'm sure something will come up soon," Chun Li said. "Eventually, we'll get leads on any of them, hopefully before the tournament's over."

Sonya sighed. "I really hope you're right. I don't want to feel as though we came here for nothing."

"Well think of it this way… think of all this time we spent here as a vacation."

Sonya laughed a little. "Well, maybe."

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Far from the tournament grounds, Akuma trained endlessly. It was as though it was the only thing he knew, having no other strive but to fight. Fighting was indeed his life.

He kept his focus mainly on his energy, the demonic power he possessed flowed within his veins. Akuma remembered it like it was only yesterday when he gave in to his dark side, a side effect of the _Ansatsuken_ fighting style that he and his brother Gouken were taught years ago. Since learning of the dark nature of their fighting style, he vowed to learn everything of the fighting style including it's dark side as a means to use the fighting style the way it was intended to be used.

Gouken, however, refused to give in to the fighting style's full potential, believing it to be the wrong path. Akuma went on to a hidden island near Japan to train, pushing the limits in order to become the most successful Ansatsuken fighter of all-time. The moment he learned of the deadly _Raging Demon_ , a move that jeopardizes the user's life, but yet instantly kills his victims, he was no longer human and no longer possessed any compassion he had previously.

To prove that he was indeed powerful, he killed his master, taking his prayer beads with him. The next day, he fought his brother. Gouken had the chance to finish off Akuma, but had refused. Akuma had told him that he would never be a true warrior.

The next they met, years later, Akuma took the opportunity to kill Gouken.

Since then, Akuma has done nothing but look for worthy warriors to find in order for him to continue the prove that he was indeed strong. Ever since Gouken's death, he noticed that one of his students, Ryu, has been following him around back in Earthrealm. Though the two had meet on separate occasions, the two have never had an official battle. Ryu has been seeking revenge for his master's death, but at the same time is looking for answers as to why he is being tormented by the dark side of Ansatsuken.

Akuma hasn't given him a straight answer yet… however, he indeed wanted to see the young warrior succumb to the dark side as a potential successor.

Now here he was in Outworld. He had been accepted into The Blood Tournament by accident. However, every opponent he has gone against were nothing more than jokes. Having a match tomorrow night, he expected to have a better challenge.

He knew that if he won the tournament, he would receive the medallion as a reward. The medallion meant nothing to him, so he planned to destroy it as a means for his own amusement before returning to Earthrealm.

As he continued to train, he heard more than one set of footsteps not too far from him. Akuma continued training despite this… merely so that it would seem that he hadn't noticed anything.

Suddenly, monster-like cries were heard as a handful of tarkatans jumped from their hiding places all around. Once they were close enough, Akuma jumped up in the air before shooting a handful of blue projectile energies at them, knocking a handful of Tarkatans away. Then, he let out a larger projectile in a fire form. Being much more powerful, the projectile knocked back even more tarkatans, rendering them unconscious.

He then fell back down to the ground, landing on both feet safely. More tarkatans jumped out and he took them each down with ease, landing some punches and kicks either knocking them out cold or killing them.

A few more jumped out and as they did, he jumped up again as he performed a Hurricane Kick, following it up with a powerful uppercut to two tarkatan. With the two moves, he was able to snap off their necks.

Only one tarkatan remained afterwards. Akuma quickly glided towards him before a bright white light surrounded them. Punches and kicks were heard before only last blow echoed throughout the area. The light dimmed down showing the now-dead Tarkatan bleeding on the ground. Akuma only stood as the 'ten' symbol glowed a blood red on his back. He stayed like this for a moment before he calmly returned to his training session as though none of this even happened.

Unknown to him, the sorcerer Shang Tsung watched all of this from behind a ten-foot boulder. Only an hour ago did the Underground Lair tournaments ended where Shao Kahn asked him to embark on his assignment to retrieve the demon Akuma.

As a precaution, he sent out some tarkatans so that he would know how truly strong Akuma was. After what he witnessed, he cursed himself in his mind.

_Damn it!_ he thought to himself. _Getting this bastard to the fortress is going to be tougher than I thought!_

The sorcerer began thinking of a plan then, trying to figure what could possibly take down Akuma much better than even he can. However, it only took him a few minutes to figure out an idea, a sadistic smirk coming over him.

In order for his plans to take place, all he needed were a handful of Shadow Priests, the medallion…. and a certain Fighting God.

~~~

_Walking across a wooden bridge near the forest, Kitana looked down at the clear river below. She smirked to herself as she spotted some fish that were swimming underneath, going towards the east._

_About a half a mile up to the west, she was able to see the waterfall gushing down from the cliff above. The water was as white as snow as it fell down to the river, soon turning into a perfect blue color._

_In the distance, she heard the morning birds chirping away, a sound she hasn't heard in ages, as she stepped off the bridge an onto a pebbled walkway. Walking in a slow pace, her high-heeled boots clicked against the walkway as she passed an area filled with green grass and grown trees filled with leaves that matched the grass._

_Kitana smiled at the sight. This was indeed Edenia, the world she's known for so long. It was here that she would find peace._

_As she continued walking, she noticed a figure up ahead, standing near a cliff with their back turned to her. She noticed that the figure possessed long blond hair flowing down freely behind them. Upon seeing the large sword that was equipped behind their back, Kitana smiled as he realized who this was._

_Kitana paced herself over to the person before stopping a few feet away. "Siegfried! What brings you to Edenia?"_

_Siegfried didn't reply to her. He continued standing there with his back still turned to her. Kitana became confused then. She spoke loud enough so she knew that he heard her. Why wasn't he answering her?_

_"_ _Siegfried?" Kitana began to ask. "Why aren't you answering me? Is everything all right?"_

_She then decided to go up to him to make sure. She walked over to him just close enough so that she was able to reach her arm up to touch him._

_"_ _Siegfried?" she called out again as she reached over to touch his shoulder._

_However, before she could lay a finger on him, Siegfried quickly turned around. Instead of seeing his handsome face, Kitana was met with a demonic one that was burning with fire. His blue eyes were replaced with a set of a reddish-orange and whites replaced with a black color._

_Kitana let out a short scream before backing away quickly. She could only watch as Siegfried grinned, showing off a set of sharp teeth. He then reached out to her as he hand burst into flames just like his face had._

_"_ _Kitana…" he uttered before his entire body was caught in the fiery fire…_

~~~

**Main Palace**

With a quick shriek, Kitana's eyes snapped open and she sat up more from the chair she was sitting on. As she tried to catch her breath, she slowly began to realize that she was outside on the balcony and had somehow ended up falling asleep out here.

_How did I end up doing that?_ she thought to herself.

Kitana then let out a deep sigh as the dream she just woke up from came back to her. It was only the fact that she was becoming a bit homesick, but it was over what happened to Siegfried in that dream. It had only been a couple of days since she witnessed him transform into something she couldn't explain and she hasn't seen him since.

From that dream, she was beginning to think that maybe Siegfried was cursed by something. Of course, there is that idea where a nice person can be quite manipulative (Tanya for instance) in order to get their way. Kitana wondered where that left for Siegfried? Was he here to break himself from the curse of the medallion? Or was he here for an evil deed?

As she thought through this, she heard the balcony door open which made her turn towards it. Her mother Sindel had opened the door and stepped outside. A white cotton-robe was wrapped around her body and her long hair was wet, obviously having just taken a bath.

"Kitana, what are you doing out here?" Sindel asked her with concern.

Kitana sighed to herself as she looked down at the ground. "Yeah, I'm fine… I had fallen asleep on the balcony and just woke up."

"Oh dear," Sindel said with a small frown. "It's quite cold out tonight. Come inside before you catch a cold."

"I'll be there in a minute mother," Kitana assured her before the Queen went back inside.

The young Princess stood herself up once she knew that her mother was far from the door. She stretched herself out a bit before looking out at the world before her. Hardly anyone was down at the palace grounds considering that it was getting late and all the matches have been done for the night.

Briefly, she thought about Siegfried. _Hopefully it's just a curse and not the fact that he could be evil,_ she thought. _I only wish that whatever it is that he'll get through it. Maybe then, we could at least have a good friendship…_

With another small sigh, Kitana turned around and began heading back inside her room.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Keeping himself in the darkness, Raven looked around the area that he was in. All was quiet in the darkened hallway, with the exception of a couple of creaks, mostly likely coming from within the walls considering that the fortress seemed quite old.

It was nearly two hours ago that he and Nina infiltrated the fortress. They entered the palace together from the back, breaking the necks of two guards who were guarding the entrance in the process. Since then, the two had separated in hopes of finding any information they could report back to Raiden and Rose. To keep in contact, they used communicators that were placed over their ears, similar to the ones Raven usually wore in his missions back on Earth.

Neither one of them had yet to discover anything as of now. Raven cursed himself upon thinking of this, realizing that he and Nina weren't given enough time before Shao Kahn returned from the matches at the Underground Lair. To him, it was either leave now or stay hidden somewhere within the fortress.

Raven pressed a button on the communicator before speaking. "Nina, are you there?"

A brief pause lingered before Nina replied. "Yeah, I'm here. Discovered anything yet?"

"Not yet," Raven answered. "However, I'm growing a bit concerned. Shao Kahn should be returning soon enough. It's unfortunate that we weren't given enough time to search around."

"Look on the bright side," Nina began to assure him. "At least it gave us a chance to get in here without him being here. Just remember that Raiden and Rose don't expect us back for a few days."

Raven nodded, nearly forgetting about that. He then spoke into the communicator again. "All right, where are you right now?"

"Third level," Nina answered.

"Fourth level here," Raven mentioned. "I think there are seven levels altogether, though I could be wrong. Meet me up here and we'll try to find an area to rest in overnight. If you find anything else in the meantime, contact me."

"Gotcha," Nina said.

Raven then took his finger off the communicator. He was just about to step forward when he suddenly heard two sets of footsteps coming from behind him. Quickly, he turned around, but saw no one there. He noted the corner that lead to the next hallway and realized that whoever was coming, they were definitely coming from that direction. He then looked back in the direction he was heading in and realized that he was far from the next turnabout and figured that he wouldn't have time to get there before he was seen. He then looked up at the ceiling and noted a set of beams that were there. They were going to be the only use for him right now. Quickly, Raven jumped up, swinging himself forward so that he was able to better hide himself.

A few moments passed before the two figures turned a corner. They happened to be Baraka and Mileena, who were having a discussion amongst themselves while slowly walking down the hall. Raven listened in in case anything important came up in their conversation.

"To think that we are one day away from ending the fifth round of this wretched tournament," said Mileena as she stared at Baraka with her yellowish-red eyes.

"It wouldn't be so wretched if we were both still in it," Baraka said. "Besides, you and I don't need this tournament in order to gain our goals."

Unknown to them, they had just passed Raven who was watching them from above. They then walked a few yards ahead before stopping. Even so, Raven was still able to hear them talk.

"Together we'll seek out that medallion from the winner of the tournament," Baraka said. "And that is whether or not they are friend or foe."

Mileena smiled delightfully under her veil which covered her tarkatan teeth. "And with the power of the medallion in our hands, we'll be able to overthrow anyone who gets in our way. Once we rid of Shao Kahn and everyone else allied to him, we will become King and Queen of Outworld. Then, when we overthrow the royals of Edenia, we will merge Edenia with us."

"Then perhaps we will do the same with Earthrealm," Baraka said as Mileena wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yes," Mileena said a bit more seductively. Using one free hand, she slowly took off her veil before looking at Baraka lovingly. "Then maybe we can take over the other realms while we're at it."

Raven then watched as the two opened their mouths. He felt his nose twitch with disgust as their tongues touched, sharing what one would call a semi-French kiss.

With these two, Raven wouldn't even know what to call it.

The 'kiss' only lasted a few seconds before Baraka quickly pulled away. Mileena looked at him with confusion as his head snapped back and forth a few times before the blades in his arms quickly shot out.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Mileena asked.

Baraka took in what sounded like a long sniff. "Can't you smell the blood? There's a human not too far from here!"

Mileena placed a hand on her hip. "For all you know, it could be one of the moronic guards serving the Emperor."

From there, Raven knew that Baraka had sensed him. He realized that even if he tried to get away now, Baraka would sense him running off in the other direction. Having no other choice, he waited until both of their backs were turned to him before getting himself quietly down to the floor. Then, he quickly took out two long kunais that were behind his lower back, planning to kill the both of them.

Baraka and Mileena turned around again just as Raven slashed his kunais at them. Mileena jumped back in surprise as Baraka blocked one of the knives with his blades. Using their weapons, the two of them engaged in combat, the sound of their weapons clashing heard all around the hall. A few feet away, Mileena took her sais out, ready to jump in to battle when given the chance.

Raven noted the fact that Baraka was quite fast. Even so, the agent eventually found an opening. Quickly, he lifted his foot up and kicked Baraka hard in the face, sending him flying back a bit and on to the floor.

Now having a chance, Mileena jumped forward with a loud growl before lashing her sais at Raven, who blocked with his kunais again. Though Mileena wasn't as quick as Baraka, Raven noted that she was quite strong, feeling the force of her attacks within his knives.

Raven's weapons continued clashing with Mileena's sais. Eventually, one of Mileena' sais got passed Raven, cutting off one of the black tassels tied to one of the kunais' scabbards right off like paper. In reply, Raven landed a few kicks at her abdomen before jumping up to perform an air kick, sending her flying back. She ended up knocking into Baraka, who was just getting up, and the two fell back to the ground.

In his fighting stance, Raven stood there with his knives out, ready for more. He waited until both Mileena and Baraka were back on their feet.

Raven was just about to run forward when he was suddenly hit by a large projectile from behind. He quickly fell forward, passing a surprised Mileena and Baraka before losing consciousness. Mileena and Baraka looked down at Raven, wandering what just happened. They then looked over at where he was previously standing, finding their answer.

Sheeva straightened herself out a bit after shooting out a projectile at Raven from behind, having heard a commotion not too far from where she was. She then walked over to where Mileena and Baraka were.

"You have saved us some trouble in taking him down," said Mileena.

"Who is he?" Sheeva asked.

"Obviously a spy," Baraka replied. "He must've been the one who killed those guards outside in the back. No matter now, since we have managed to catch him."

"And at a good time too," said Mileena. "We only have two new prisoners and I'm sure Shao Kahn will be pleased we know that we got a new prisoner this soon."

"He should be back any minute," Sheeva said as he picked up Raven and threw him over her shoulder. "Get some rope. We'll be taking him to the throne room. I'm sure that Shao Kahn would like to meet him."

With that, the three of them began walking down the hall to fulfill their new deed.

~~~

**In Another Part of Shao Kahn's Fortress**

In a large room, Kira stood around as she waited for either Kabal or Havik to show up. She was told by them that they were going to have a meeting to discuss 'more plans to get closer to the medallion.'

Kira didn't care what the meeting was going to be about. Ever since a few hours ago, when Havik got himself disqualified from the tournament, she had lost all faith in the Black Dragon. Havik was their only chance to get the medallion, since she and Kabal lost the tournament back in Round Two. Instead of helping, Havik foolishly stole a gun from a viewer and tried shooting his opponent (turned out there were no bullets in the gun so it was not the only lost cause), therefore causing him his disqualification.

_What kind of idiot would do that?_ she thought to herself. Then again, Havik was the Cleric of Chaos after all.

That thought brought up another issue. Why is it that Kabal was willing to be lead by a crazy man such as Havik? None of this made any sense to her.

As she continued thinking through this, she heard footsteps not too far from her. Kira turned her head to the noise and saw Kabal coming towards her.

"Do you have any idea what Havik has done?" Kira called out in a harsh tone.

Kabal stared at the red-haired woman. "Yes, I was there at the tournament tonight as well and I am aware of what he did."

"So you understand how I'm feeling about this whole thing, right?"

Kabal nodded. "Yes. However, that sort of thing was expected from him, considering the fact that he comes from Chaosrealm."

"So why are we, as the Black Dragon, putting our trust in an insane moron?"

Kabal sighed a bit. "That 'insane moron' happened to actually save my life after the Red Dragon Mavado tried to kill me and stole my hookswords in the process." As he spoke, Kabal took out one of his two hookswords from behind his back. He then stared at it as he spoke again. "Obviously, I've taken care of that bastard since."

Kira looked at the hooksword as well. "I assume that you believe that you owe him a bit of a debt then."

"He never actually stated that," Kabal explained. "However, he was the one who suggested to rejoin the Black Dragon once he knew that I was once a following member back in the day."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "I see now… so what do we do with him from this point forward?"

"Havik and I had a discussion right after his match," Kabal replied. "We wanted to have a meeting to discuss new plans to get to the medallion."

"…So we are still going to follow him? Kabal, he's ruined a good chance for us to get to the medallion to begin with. Had he not got himself disqualified, we wouldn't even discuss yet another plan."

"I am aware of that," Kabal said, the volume of his voice raising a bit. Obviously, he was getting tired of Kira's bickering. "As always, we have to be patient."

"…You're kidding, right? How many times have you said that and nothing has progressed? The first time you said that was weeks ago, probably the day we came here! It's obvious that we shouldn't be following anything that idiot says!"

"You do remember that it's Havik who is going to lead us to our goal. You shall see when this tournament is over."

Kira had enough. She couldn't believe that her leader was putting his trust into a man of chaos, the very man who had caused them the best chance of getting the medallion. Losing a fight was one thing, but to get yourself disqualified over something that could've been avoided was completely different.

Quickly, Kira took out her dragon teeth knives with a grunt. "I can't believe you have fallen this low! Now I've came to realize… the Black Dragon are nothing more than a joke!"

Kabal saw the knives as a threat. He took out his other hooksword and got into a fighting stance. "You dare to defy the Black Dragon?!" he yelled out.

Kira eyed him. "You said it yourself… you wanted this clan to be different from the old clan. You didn't want be like a band of pirates. You wanted to be better than any other clan. However, with Havik's involvement, the Black Dragon will end up the way it was before."

In anger, Kabal lashed out his hookswords at Kira, who quickly blocked the maneuver before she was hit. Before they knew it, the two of them found themselves engaged in combat. They weapons clashed with each maneuver they made while playing both offense and defense.

Although Kabal's weapon was bigger than Kira's, she had no problem blocking his attacks. A handful of times however, she had no choice but to duck herself from the hookswords depending on what angle it was attacking her from.

Neither one of them were sure how long their fight lasted, but neither of them cared. All they cared about was taking the other down.

At one point, Kira found an opening and took the opportunity to kick Kabal back, forcing him to stumble back a few feet. Before he could recover, Kira quickly shot out a pink projectile from her hand. In retaliation, Kabal shot out his own projectile from his mouth. The two projectiles ended up colliding with each other, exploding into nothing in mid-air.

From there, they continued with their fight. However, it would come to be that it wouldn't last much longer. At one point, Kira lashed one of her knives which ended up cutting a small potion of the front tube that connected to Kabal's oxygen mask.

Though he was still getting oxygen, Kabal realized that his supply would eventually be limited. He realized that he couldn't go on with their fight in this condition.

However, before he could run off, Kira had raised one of her knives and threw it right in his chest. Kabal fell back to the floor from the force of the impact with a grunt. Then, before he knew it, darkness took over him.

Once Kabal's body was still, Kira walked over and looked down at him. "That takes care of that," she muttered.

It was then that she heard someone clapping from behind. Raising an eyebrow, Kira turned to the noise and noticed Havik emerging from the shadows. Obviously at some point of the fight, he had come into the room and saw the fight happened. He waited in the shadows until the fight was over.

"I applaud you Kira," Havik said to her. "You are giving in to the Chaos-"

However, before he could finish, Kira let out a growl before throwing her other knife forward. The knife ended up planting itself right through the helmet Havik was wearing. The force knocked Havik to the floor quickly. Once he was on the ground, Kira had expected him to twitch a bit. However, he didn't move once and she assumed that she had instantly killed him.

Kira looked at the two dead men on the floor. It was official… the Black Dragon was done. Kira thought through what she could do next, but it was obvious… all she could really do now was continue to serve Shao Kahn. She could always tell him that they planned to betray him and that she didn't want anything to do with their plan… a half lie that was for sure.

Bending down, Kira bent down to take the knife out of Kabal's chest. "Hmph… the Black Dragon are nothing more than a nuisance."

Then, a moan was heard from behind her. Thinking someone had come into the room, Kira turned around. Instead, she was met with a sight that she wasn't expecting… Havik was actually sitting up!

Her eyes widened in shock as Havik reached for the hilt of the knife. "I have a splitting headache," he said calmly as he pulled the knife out of his helmet. A little blood spewed out once the knife was out. It looked as though the knife only pricked his forehead rather than hitting his brain. His helmet had saved him.

Still in shock, Kira could only watch as Havik stood himself up. He then walked over to her and stretched his hand out which held the knife. Though she felt reluctant, Kira managed to get herself to take the knife in her hand.

"I am most impressed child," Havik said to her. "If given the chance, you are indeed worthy to truly embrace the Chaos as I have."

At this point, Kira had heard enough. Pretending that none of this was happening, Kira quickly turned her back and walked out of the room.

Havik waited until she was out of the room. Once she was, Havik bent down to Kabal and felt to see if there was a pulse on his arm. Indeed there was one. The shock of having his oxygen tube and being stabbed must've rendered him unconscious.

"Looks like I'll be bringing you back to life again, my friend," Havik said as he picked Kabal up and threw him over his shoulder. "You better just hope I find a good hiding place before death meets you."

Then, Havik ran off with Kabal into the darkness, planning to not return to the tournament grounds for a while.

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Hours passed, but time meant nothing for Akuma. Even after being attacked by a handful of tarkatans, he continued training. They only served as practice for him and nothing more.

A while ago, Akuma noted the sudden change in the winds. Obviously, something was taking place. He was even able to feel some sort of evil in the distance. Was it an essence that this world provided or was it a worthy opponent? If it was indeed the second one, Akuma was ready to fight them.

Some time passed before he realized that the evil essence in the air was coming closer to him. He continued training despite the small distraction. However, the more time passed, the more that the energy became stronger. Soon, he was able to fully recognize the energy… a living being.

By now, Akuma had stopped what he was doing. He stood still as a grin came over his face, impressed by the strong energy.

"Such power," he said aloud. "…show yourself."

The living being didn't hesitate as they stepped forward from behind one of the boulders. Though Akuma didn't know it, this was the Fighting God Ogre. All he knew that he possessed such a power it was unbelievable. Akuma couldn't compare that to any of his past opponents.

Without saying anymore, Akuma got himself into his fighting stance. He had expected Ogre to do the same, but instead he glided towards Akuma before throwing a punch, which Akuma immediately blocked. Even underneath his block, Akuma felt Ogre's immense strength, indeed one that he never went up against before.

The fight between the two lasted quite a while. Mostly, they changed various punches and kicks, but they also exchanged they more powerful moves, which included uppercuts and especially projectiles, which were exchanged more than their other moves.

As the fight continued, Ogre slowly began to get the upper hand in the fight as Akuma found himself on defense more than offense. For the first time since giving in to his dark side, Akuma felt himself slowly getting weaker. However, even so, he refused to succumb to any sort of weakness.

Then, Ogre shot out another projectile which Akuma ducked under, causing the projectile to fly over his head. Just as he was beginning to stand up, Akuma suddenly found his entire body immobilized by an unseen force. Then he was raised up in the air. At that point, Akuma saw that he was surrounded by a handful of Shadow Priests. Akuma grunted as he struggled to get out of the hold.

Then, one of the Shadow Priests glided towards him with it's hands clasped as though they were praying. Once it was a few feet away, the Shadow Priest made various different signings with it's hands. With each signing, a glowing blue kanji letter emerged out of the hand and went right into Akuma's body. The process only lasted a few seconds before the invisible force exploded. The hold on Akuma was then released as he fell on to the ground unconscious.

Soon, all was quiet, at least for a moment before Shang Tsung emerged from behind one of the boulders, holding out the medallion in his hands, which has been controlling Ogre and boosting his power. The red tear on the medallion glowed in it's blood red color.

Even from a couple of yards away, the sorcerer could smell the energy on Akuma. A smirk came over his face at the realization that he was in possession of one of the most powerful fighters in the tournament. If anyone had the chance of winning the tournament, it would've been him or Scorpion. With Akuma now captured, his chances of retrieving the medallion were no longer possible.

"Shao Kahn would indeed be pleased," he said to himself.

He then ordered the Shadow Priests to head out. All the Shadow Priests picked up the unconscious demon, raising him above their head, before departing the area.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Raven wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious before waking up. Once he opened his eyes, all he was able to see was blur, forcing him to blink a few times before his vision was cleared.

The agent looked around the area he was in. He was on the floor in a large room only brightened by countless candles. He then tried moving his hands, but quickly realized that they were tied by a rope behind his back.

"Ah, you're awake," a female voice said above him. Lying on his side, Raven was able to look up towards the voice. Upon seeing Mileena standing over him, he began to remember what happened. He had been fighting her along with Baraka… but he couldn't remember what rendered him out cold to begin with.

Then a thought came to him. _Nina…_ He wondered if she knew that he had been captured.

However, the thought came too soon as the door to the room opened. A woman in a yellow attire and a lizard-like creature dragged Nina, who was also tied up, into the room.

"Let me go you bastards!" Nina yelled out.

"Shut up!" the woman holding her growled as she threw her down on the floor next to Raven.

Nina and Raven were only able to briefly look at each other as they realized that they had been both captured. It was then that a shadow took over them. Looking up, a large figure with a skull helmet stood before them. Just by the attire alone, Nina and Raven both realized that this was the Emperor of Outworld- Shao Kahn!

"You've done well Tanya and Reptile," Shao Kahn said to them. "Quan Chi had thought we had spies among us and it turned out he was right. Mileena, Baraka, Sheeva… you've done good as well."

The Emperor then turned his attention to Nina and Raven. The two of them could do nothing but stare up at him as a bit of fear came over them for the first time since they could remember, wondering of their fate.

"So, you two thought that you could get away with your plans?" he said to them. "You may have taken down some of our guards, but you have foolishly underestimated us. Now tell me… who are you working for?"

Neither one of them said a word, a reply that pretty much gave away the answer to Shao Kahn. "I will ask again… who are you working for?"

Once again, silence.

After a moment, Shao Kahn snapped his fingers. Quickly, Baraka, Mileena, Reptile, and Tanya ganged up on the two and began beating them senseless. Sheeva nearly joined the fray, but Shao Kahn stopped her but putting an arm out in front of her. Sheeva whirled her head to his direction in a bit of confusion.

"You'll end up killing them," Shao Kahn said to her. "I don't want them dead just yet."

The four continued beating on Nina and Raven. Shao Kahn noted that the two were only let out grunts rather than the agonizing screams that he was expecting. Already he knew that they were worthy to keep alive for a while.

"Enough!" Shao Kahn called out. His four minions immediately stopped what they were doing and pulled away. Bruises began developing on the two with Raven bleeding through the nose and Nina bleeding through the lip.

"I'm going to ask one more time," Shao Kahn said to them. "Who are you working for?"

Silence was the reply once again. Obviously, these two would go to any length to protect the one who sent them here. No matter though… he was going to have them taken well care off.

"Take them to the dungeons!" Shao Kahn ordered.

Quickly, the four minions picked the two up from the floor. A loud crack was heard as one of them stepped on Raven's sunglasses, which had fallen off his face during the beating.

Despite struggling, Nina and Raven knew that there was no way out of this. From behind them, Shao Kahn and Sheeva watched them get dragged off until they were out of the room, the door closing behind them.


	50. Chapter Forty-Nine

The Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn sat at his throne in the quiet room as the morning sun began to rise from behind the mountains. All was quiet in the room, which was much to the Emperor's likings.

The last twelve hours have been going quite good for Shao Kahn. For one thing, Shang Tsung was able to successfully capture the demon Akuma, one of the few tournament participants he needed. On the bonus side, he managed to have two spies captured later that night. He had asked the two who they were working for out of curiosity, but when the two didn't answer him, he knew that something was up. He planned to keep the two until they either fess up or die.

_There are just a few more that I need in my grasps,_ Shao Kahn thought as he scanned his red eyes around the quiet room.

Indeed there were a few more people he needed… whether it was recruiting or capturing. He still needed to recruit a few more fighters, including the powerful Heihachi Mishima and the Bushin fighter Guy (both processes seemed to be going much slower than the others).

As for those needed to be captured, there was the ninja spectre Scorpion. He, along with Akuma, have proven to be the most powerful in the tournament. Of everyone there, they had the most likely chance of making it to the final round. With either of them winning, it would mean that they would definitely receive the prize - _Chishio No Me_ … an act which can't be allowed.

Besides, Shao Kahn had other plans for them, specifically for the end of the tournament. The two have such power that, once Shao Kahn can retain the medallion, he could use it to steal their power and have it for himself… a plan that can play a good part in his much bigger plans.

The other that needed to be captured was the traitor Ermac. However, when Ogre had attacked him and Paul a few days ago, the Fighting God managed to get Paul out of the way (he went to later kill him where he left him, but his body was missing when he arrived). He and Ermac fought for a while, eventually leading to a cliff.

Though Ogre witnessed Ermac falling off the cliff, Shao Kahn wasn't going to rule out his death just yet. Ermac was known to have the ability to fly so there was a chance that the enigma was still alive and in hiding somewhere. He sent out some guards to find him, knowing that it may be a while before Ermac is spotted again.

Aside from all of that, everything else has been going according to plan. Though today was the last day of Round Five, there will still be plenty of time to get everything moving.

As Shao Kahn continued with his thoughts, he heard knocking at the entrance of his throne room. "Enter!" he called out as he straightened himself up in his throne.

The door opened before the sorcerer Quan Chi walked into the room. He closed the door behind him before making his way towards where Shao Kahn sat. Once he was a few feet away, he bowed to him (reluctantly).

A small smirk came over Shao Kahn's lips. "Good, I was going to send one of my guards out for you. But first… what brings you here?"

Quan Chi straightened himself out a bit so that his head was facing the Emperor. "The guards had finished with the count of how many fighters we will have left in the tournament. Once today's events are over, there will be twenty fighters left… much more than we bargained for."

Shao Kahn rubbed his chin a bit. "Seems that we had underestimated the number of fighters who will still be around by this point. We should've had at least eight participants by Round Six."

"It was expected with the extra amount of fighters who came to the tournament. Should we expand the number of rounds?" Quan Chi suggested.

A thought came to the Emperor. "I have a better idea. I will have a talk with Sheeva later this evening. Perhaps we can set up a night tournament to see who is worthy of staying in the main tournament. Of course, we'll need a few fighters to be left out of the plan so that the tournament will go on as scheduled… so aside from Sheeva, Ivy, and Viper, we should have another five participants to stay out of this. The chosen fighters shall fight Sheeva tomorrow night. Any of them who lose will not move on to the tournament. As for the remaining fighters, they will fight in the Courtyard and Underground Lair for the remainder of the tournament."

"And what if a fighter does indeed beat Sheeva?"

"…then they will have the privilege to move on to Round Six."

"As you wish," Quan Chi said nodding. "We will go on with that plan after the tournament tonight. The chosen fighters will receive their notices in the morning."

"Good," Shao Kahn said. "And while you're here, I have an assignment for you."

Quan Chi stood there in silence, awaiting his orders.

"I have been in quite a good mood for the last few hours," Shao Kahn said. "Once again, you've done well with bringing our new recruit Sodom here. He has proven quite loyal as of now. And for these, I believe this particular assignment will be much to your delight."

Shao Kahn then stood up from his throne, his large form towering over the smaller sorcerer. The Emperor swung his blood red cape behind him a bit before proceeding. "Your assignment… bring the spectre Scorpion here alive."

A sadistic grin came over Quan Chi's face. "Much to my delight indeed. I'll be on my way out as soon as possible."

"And you better not fail," Shao Kahn reminded him. "If you do, I will make sure that your head will be well displayed on a pole for all to see."

"Don't worry," Quan Chi said. "I don't intend to fail this assignment."

~~~

**An Hour From The Tournament Grounds, West**

Overnight, Ashrah, Sub-Zero, and Matrik had a discussion by the campfire. During that meeting, they made a decision. When the sun began to rise for the day, that will be the time when the three of them take their leave. A few nights ago, Ashrah announced to the two that she had possibly found Noob and Sektor's current hideout where a few caves were, located an hour away to the west.

Last night, Ashrah found out which cave they were in after seeing Sektor walking out of one of them. Now that she was sure of their location, they could now continue with their mission to rescue Smoke. With the three of them out of the tournament and with the last day of Round Five being today, it would give them the opportunity to make their move more easily.

After meeting up on the cave grounds, the three of them journeyed to the location. Just arriving not too long ago, the three of them looked over from a hill, facing an area that had a few caves around.

"So which cave was it that Sektor came out of?" asked Sub-Zero.

"The second one closest to us on the left," Ashrah said as she pointed to that particular entrance.

"Should we head out now?" asked Matrik as she spotted the cave.

Ashrah nodded. "There's no harm in that up to this point. Just be careful."

The three of them began to make their way down the hill, going slow so that they didn't slip on the rocks along the way. As they did, Ashrah began thinking to herself. Sometimes, to her, it was hard to believe that she had even managed to escape the Netherealm. A former member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, her life was once consumed with darkness and death, as she was mainly a messenger for the clan. One would think that someone like her would never leave the forsaken realm.

To think that it all started with a question…

_Months Before…_

_Since becoming a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, Ashrah mainly went on missions for the sorcerers who ran the clan. One of them was Quan Chi. The missions that were usually involved were retrieving sacred items, playing messenger, and any other task that didn't require a lot of skills._

_One day, a new task came up. Quan Chi called upon Ashrah and two other women by the name of Ayame and Dahlia._

_Quan-Chi stood in front of the three women. "I have an assignment for you, one that is… quite different than the norm." He lingered a pause in the air before continuing. "We had recently discovered the location of the oni spy who has been watching our activities for the past few weeks. He is located at the Barren Gorges east from here, a two-day journey. Your task is to bring me his head. You will receive a great reward upon your return. That is all."_

_After a short, uncomfortable pause, Ashrah spoke. "Master Quan Chi, are you sure that we are able to take on this task? We are skilled, yes, but not in this particular area and I'm certain that there are others more suitable for this."_

_Quan Chi stared at her for a moment, which made Ashrah feel a bit more uncomfortable. He then shifted his eyes over at the other two women. "The leader himself specified that you three should take on the task. If you feel you are not qualified to accomplish this task however, I will see that the three of you will be… well taken care of…"_

_Dahlia spoke up then. "Ignore Ashrah, master. She is as loyal as we are and we are honored to take on this task."_

_"_ _Good," Quan Chi said with a single nod. "Now take you leave."_

_Soon enough, the three demon sisters were off. It was two days later that they succeeded in decapitating the oni spy's head, placing it in a black bag. Soon enough, they were off again, heading back to base._

_Halfway back, however, a mysterious figure in red approached them with a scroll in hand. It gave the scroll to Ayame before leaving. She read the letter, a surprised look coming over her face before handing the scroll over to Dahlia. Dahlia read over the letter and had the same look on her face afterward._

_Ashrah placed a hand out, expecting the scroll to be passed to her as well. She then noticed Ayame and Dahlia staring at each other for a moment… and before she knew it, they ambushed her. Though surprised, Ashrah was still able to hold her own despite their deadly attacks. It was easier for her to kill Dahlia first as she stabbed her through the chest._

_It took a longer time to fight Ayame. At one point, Ayame managed to knock Ashrah to the ground, landing next to a very large boulder. Ashrah then looked at the sword she was using and realized that it had broken in half._

_She looked around, desperate for anything at this point. It was at that moment that a small white light slightly glowed from behind the rock Ashrah quickly crawled over to the light after tripping Ayame to the ground. She was surprised to see a Kriss sword there, which was slightly planted to the ground. Knowing that this sword would be her only hope of survival, she quickly grabbed the hilt and, when Ayame was close enough, stabbed her through the chest. A demon-like scream was heard from Ayame before she collapsed to the ground dead._

_Almost immediately after Ayame collapsed, a small group of white lights came out of her and moved itself towards the sword that Ashrah held. The lights then went into the sword before the sword itself glowed brighter. Then, the white light briefly went over Ashrah's body before fading._

_Ashrah raised an eyebrow, having felt a small sensation that she couldn't describe. However, she couldn't worry about it at the moment, though she was thankful to have found this sword at a good time._

_The scroll that was given to Ayame had been dropped to the ground and Ashrah picked it up. Upon reading the content, she became horrified by what she had read…_

By Orders of Quan Chi and Noob Saibot;

Bring back the head of the Demon Messenger Ashrah.

She is suspected of treason and treachery and had questioned orders to a superior.

_Afterwards, Ashrah found her hand holding the scroll turning into a fist. The paper crumbled into her hand before it was dropped to the ground._

_"_ _They'll pay with their lives…" Ashrah vowed._

Ashrah sighed to herself quietly as she continued going down the hill with Sub-Zero and Matrik. She thought about the Kriss that she once held in her hands. Reading from an ancient text later on, she learned that this sword allowed demons like herself to purify themselves of sins whenever the blade struck down an impure foe. The more powerful the demons, the more her soul would be purified.

Only a few weeks ago did she fight Noob Saibot, who was currently working on regrouping the Brotherhood of Shadow after the fall of Shinnok by using Smoke's nano-technology to create an army of cyborgs. She had thought that she killed him as her body was brought here in Outworld. However, it turned out that he survived and began using her Kriss to collect the sins of those he killed, therefore making the sword do the opposite of what it's done for her.

She just hoped that, if she encountered Noob, that he wouldn't take out that now-cursed sword.

"Ashrah?" a voice suddenly cut in. Upon hearing the voice, Ashrah shook her head a little. It had been Sub-Zero who said her name, but it was Matrik who spoke next. "Shall we go in?" she asked.

Ashrah looked ahead then and realized that they were a few yards away from the entrance of the cave. The last thing she had remembered before falling back into her daydream was walking down the hill, which seemed only seconds ago.

The demon huntress managed to nod then as she looked at her two allies. "Yes… let's go in and rescue Smoke."

Wit that, the three of them began head in with Sub-Zero leading the way.

~~~

**Dungeons**

Nina Williams wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time she woke up. Upon opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was blur, just like any person would after losing consciousness. Though she still felt heaviness in her eyelids, she forced herself to blink a few times so that she could get her vision to clear up.

Once Nina was able to see clearly, she began scanning the area she was in. The room was dark with the walls and the floor she was lying on made of stoned. Just in front of her was a heavy door with a small window on it that contained bars. In the distance, she could hear the slow, rhythmic sounds of dripping water.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was in the cell that was located somewhere in the Emperor's fortress.

"H… how did I… get here…" she uttered as she slowly forced herself to sit up. As Nina sat up, she looked up towards the ceiling and noticed three objects that hung from there… a thick rope and two chains, each one containing a metal handcuff. Nina felt a slightly bad feeling coming over her, but she tried her best to ignore it, hoping that what could happen to her doesn't happen at all.

Soon, Nina managed to fully sit up and she leaned herself against the stoned wall. She took a deep breath before looking down at herself. Her black pants, black boots, and red shirt were a bit dirty, but other than that, they were fine. She then reached over to her blonde hair and was a bit surprised to feel that her ponytail was no longer there. Her hair was fallen freely just passed her shoulder blades.

Then, her blue eyes suddenly widened as she began to wonder about Raven. However, before she was able to think further, the door to her cell opened, the clicking sound echoing all throughout the area. Nina looked to her left where the door was. A raven-haired woman clad in yellow came in, followed by three guards who stood behind her.

The woman looked down at Nina. "I was beginning to wonder when you would awaken," she said to her. "The Emperor wanted me to personally welcome you to your… quarters."

The woman pushed back a lock her hair over her shoulder, noting that Nina only stared at her in silence. "Ah, not much of a talker I see. Well, when you do talk, you should remember this… you are to refer to me as… Mistress Tanya. Can you say that?"

Again, Nina said nothing. Tanya's eyes narrowed before she turned her head to the guards behind her. "Chain her!" she yelled out.

Quickly, the three guards ambushed Nina. As she was pulled to her feet, she began to struggle with them, at one point elbowing one in the nose. Even now with only two guards, they were able to successfully chain Nina's wrists to the two chains that hung off the ceiling, leaving her toes to barely touch the ground.

"Are you comfortable?" Tanya asked with a sadistic grin.

Once again, Nina said nothing. However, because of this, Tanya raised a hand and quickly slapped her across the face, forcing her head to snap sideways. "You are to speak when questioned!" Tanya yelled.

Tanya then used the hand she slapped Nina with and pushed it back so that Nina was facing her. "Now to business." Her smile slowly became more playful. "Normally, I would take the pleasure in torturing you right about now. However, a… better idea came into play. Let's just say that I have a nice surprise for you."

Quickly, Tanya snapped her fingers once. A shadow gleamed on the small source of light that came into the room. As the shadow got closer to the room, Nina was able to hear a distant sound of a pair of high-heels.

_It…can't be…_ Nina suddenly thought without really thinking.

Soon, the person came into the room and Nina was able to see them in full-view. Her eyes widened in shock upon noting the red dress, the short brown hair, and the blue eyes that matched her own.

"Anna…" Nina growled.

"I was wondering when you were going to speak," Tanya said. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot… don't worry about your friend Raven… he's being well taken care of as well." She then turned to the guards. "Let's take our leave."

Tanya and the guards soon left the room, closing the door behind them (but not locking it).

A maniacal grin came over Anna's face. "I was beginning to wonder when we would meet again, _sister_!"

Nina shuddered at the last word. For some reason now, it felt like poison to her. "I see that you joined up with the Emperor. Smooth move I must say."

Anna placed a hand on her cheek while the other hand stayed behind her back. "Isn't it such a clever idea? It happened by accident really. Right after our last encounter, I bumped into a couple of guys who were meeting up with a servant of Shao Kahn. He knew of our rivalry… and he offered me a place here. They promised that when the time came that they would give me the chance to settle our score."

"What happened with the old way?" Nina asked her. "Why take this route?"

"For one thing, the old way was getting old," Anna replied. "And besides… I haven't been this happy… I haven't been this happy since before father died."

"This isn't the way to go!" Nina called out. "And I bet they're using you! There's a chance that they won't keep you here-"

"SHUT UP!" Anna screamed out in rage. She then quickly pulled out the hand behind her back, revealing the black whip that she had wrapped around her fingers. She then whipped it in the air, making a snapping sound that echoed throughout the cell.

Nina's face was calm, but her heart was racing underneath her ribcage upon seeing the whip, now knowing Anna's intentions.

"They've poisoned you," Nina said calmly. "And... I can't believe I'm about to say this, but... you're better than this."

Anna eyed her older sister. "They made me realize that just killing you was too easy. For so long I've been in your shadow. For so long, I've had to watch my back from you because, despite losing your memories, you wanted me dead. You've even gone as far as blaming me for father's death. As much as I want to kill you now, that's going to have to wait for a while. But right now, I'm going to have fun with you."

Anna then raised her whip and Nina had no choice but to receive the agonizing blows.

~~~

**Indoor Arena**

"Ivy Valentine!" the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament called out.

Upon hearing her name, Ivy stepped over the ropes and began walking towards the middle of the ring. With the number of fighters dwindling, she noted that the matches are now taking place in just the afternoon and, starting today, were taking place here, the Courtyard, and in the evening, the Underground Lair. Even though the amount of matches now were a smaller number, the fights themselves seem to be a bit longer. The tournament was now filled with stronger fighters.

Soon, Ivy reached the middle. It wasn't long before her opponent was announced. "Jade!"

Ivy spotted the green-clad woman coming into the ring. Ivy smirked to herself a bit as she noted the staff in her hands. _Good…I was hoping for a weapon-to-weapon fight for this round._

Jade soon reached the middle, standing a couple of feet away. Ivy then noted the two braids in Jade's hair, the upper portions rolled up to make a double bun.

"Pigtails? Very cute," Ivy said to her with a hint of sarcasm.

Jade ignored her as she got herself into a fighting stance, her staff out in front of her. Ivy got herself into her own stance as well.

"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.

Ivy wasted no time as she covered the space between her and Jade, lashing her sword out in the process. Jade immediately blocked the sword attack. From there, their weapons continued to collide with one another. Both of them noted the other's strength and determination.

A minute went by before Jade pulled back from Ivy. Quickly, Jade pulled out her razorang, which was strapped to her side, before throwing it at Ivy. Ivy quickly blocked the object with her sword, causing it to go off course. It then turned itself back ground and headed back towards Jade, who caught it in her hand.

"Nice trick," Ivy said to her before they resumed their weapon fight. This only lasted a few seconds before Jade aimed her staff at the side of Ivy's head and began swinging. Ivy saw this in time and ducked under it. Jade then quickly aimed the staff low and attempted to trip her opponent. She succeeded as Ivy fell to the ground with an ' _oof._ '

Quickly looking up afterward, Ivy kicked her foot up and managed to knock Jade's staff out of her hands, sending it flying above her head. Ivy then rolled back before getting herself back on her feet. Then, before Jade could catch her staff, Ivy let her sword uncoil into pieces before whipping it forward. The sword wrapped itself around Jade, a surprised look coming over her face. Ivy then pulled her sword back, sending Jade in multiple spins. When the spinning stopped, Jade suddenly felt dizzy.

Taking the chance, Ivy jumped forward, intending to inflict more attacks on her. Jade shook her head a bit so that she was able to focus more before taking the risk to perform a few back flips, stumbling a bit afterward.

Before Ivy was able to reach her this time, Jade lifted one leg in front of her and quickly glided towards Ivy, leaving behind a trail of green shadows. She succeed in connecting the move, sending Ivy flying back a few feet before landing on the ground.

Ivy attempted to get up afterward. As she did, Jade suddenly began throwing a group of throwing stars at Ivy from out of nowhere, all of them glowing a green color. Ivy's eyes widened a bit in surprised, but regained her composure as she rolled to the side, letting the stars pass her. It ended up flying out of the ring, forcing the viewers in it's path to duck down quickly (only one star managed to prick into one viewer's shoulder).

Ivy stood herself up after and ran towards Jade. When she was a few feet away, Ivy tucked herself and rolled forward in order to get to Jade faster. After the roll, Ivy jumped up as she performed an uppercut to Jade's chin, causing the Edenian to stumble back towards the edge of the ring.

_Now's the time,_ Ivy thought. She got a little closer to Jade before performing a spinning roundhouse, standing on one foot. The move managed to connect and before Jade knew it, she flew right out of the ring.

Ivy smirked with satisfaction as the Shadow Priest announced that she was the winner of the match. _Another round won,_ Ivy thought. She then walked out of the ring just as Jade was getting back on her feet, despite her defeat.

~~~

**An Hour From The Tournament Grounds, West**

Since none of them knew where to go, Ashrah, Sub-Zero, and Matrik ended up sticking together during their search. Throughout the whole walk, the three of them stayed silent while keeping their eye out for anything unusual.

They weren't sure how long it was before they reached the end of the path they were walking on, which seemed to lead into a large room. The three of them stopped near the entrance for a moment. From there, they were able to hear a humming sound.

Sub-Zero, who had been leading the whole time, looked over at Ashrah, who looked at him as well and nodded once. Sub-Zero nodded once as well before turning his head to Matrik. Matrik nodded as well before Sub-Zero turned his head forward. Then, he stepped into the room and walked in with Ashrah and Matrik following.

They looked around the room they were in now. Here and there were various types of machines, half of them looking as though they were still being built. One machine that was quite notable was the large machine in the back that was connected to two gray pods with sliding glass doors.

"I recognize some of the machines," mentioned Matrik. "Sektor obviously brought over some of his Tekunin technology."

While still looking around, Sub-Zero spoke. "What do they do?"

"The one being built to the right seems to be meant to change a human into a cyborg," Matrik replied. "The machine nearby seems to be meant for cloning."

"Sounds as though they have a plan up their sleeve," Sub-Zero said.

"What of this machine?" Ashrah asked pointing to the machine with the two pods.

Matrik seemed to stare at that particular machine for a while. Then slowly, she slightly tilted her head sideways. "I'm not sure. This type of machine was never made on the Tekunin base. Must've been something Sektor has been working on for a while-"

She was then suddenly cut off by a voice. "Glad you admire our work."

The three of them quickly turned around only to see Sektor, Noob, and Smoke standing a few feet away. Smoke himself was ready to fight while the other two stood in their place calmly.

"So it seems that you've found us again," said Sektor, staring at the three. "How clever."

Noob folded his arms in front of him as he stared at the white-clad woman. "I'm glad that you can join us, Ashrah. I was beginning to wonder when we would meet again."

Ashrah quickly got herself into a fighting stance. "And this time, I'll make sure that you die, demon!"

A maniacal laugh escaped Noob before he unfolded his arms. "Didn't you say that during our last encounter those few weeks ago? Speaking of… it's too bad that I didn't bring your precious Kriss along for this battle… the very thought of seeping out your purified energy would've truly amused me."

Letting out a battle cry then, Ashrah charged towards Noob, ready to fight. Seconds later, Matrik and Sub-Zero followed with Matrik fighting Sektor, and Sub-Zero fighting Smoke.

The triple battle went on for some time. Sub-Zero mainly found himself on defense against Smoke all the while trying to find a way to free him from Noob's control. Ashrah and Noob exchanged various attacks, the both of them even. And for the second time since coming to Outworld, Matrik fought Sektor, fighting just like they had in the tournament. Only this time, no rules held them back.

As the fight continued, both Noob and Sektor managed to get the upper hand in their fights. They both performed a hard kick at the same time, sending Ashrah and Matrik flying back before crashing into each other. Afterward, they stumbled on to the ground.

Ashrah and Matrik were just beginning to get up then when they saw a sight they least expected. Noob jumped towards Sektor, quickly fusing with him, a black shadow going over them before disappearing. Ashrah's eyes widened up seeing the fused form of Sektor and Noob, the new body surrounded by a black aura with the Brotherhood of Shadow logo on it's back, was mostly colored black and red, and had glowing blue eyes like Noob's.

"Surprised, aren't we?" Noob-Sektor said as they looked at Ashrah and Matrik, the both of them finally standing up.

"Just because you know how to fuse now," began Matrik, raising her tone. "That doesn't mean that we're going to back out of this fight."

"Good," Noob-Sektor replied with a single nod. "At least we won't be fighting cowards."

Matrik jumped in fight in an attempt to fight the new machine. She was just raising her fist when Noob-Sektor quickly teleported behind her, landing a few punches on her before performing a powerful air kick that knocked her back. The blows left a few dents on Matrik and she felt some electric surges throughout her body.

Ashrah decided to take her chance then as she shot out a white projectile. Noob-Sektor just turned around and were hit by the projectile. However, the projectile disintegrated upon impact, not seeming to leave any damage on the machine.

"What?!" Ashrah cried out.

"Imbecile," Noob-Sektor said before teleporting towards Ashrah. Though Ashrah attempted to fight back, she was quickly overpowered by the new machine as it landed a few punches on her before letting out it's own projectile filled with electricity and was of a gray and red color. The projectile ended up knocking Ashrah a few yards away and she ended up crashing into one of the unfinished machines, sending it to pieces before slipping to the ground.

By then, Matrik was back on her feet. Ashrah watched helplessly as her ally was once again beaten and knocked to the floor with a powerful punch. Even with the pain in her body, Ashrah attempted to get herself back up slowly. As she did, a grim thought came over her.

_How much more could we fight?_ she thought.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

"Enter!" Shao Kahn's booming voice was heard from behind the door.

Not too long ago, Ivy Valentine returned to the fortress. Before she had left this morning, the Emperor had asked to see her upon her return from the tournament grounds. In her mind, Ivy hoped that this little meeting goes quick. She was looking forward to a nice hot bath in her sleeping quarters and she hoped that Tanya had made the preparations beforehand.

Upon hearing Shao Kahn's call, Ivy opened the large door and entered the throne room, closing the door behind her after. She then made her way towards Shao Kahn's throne at the back of the room, stopping just a few feet away.

"You wanted to see me?" Ivy asked him.

Shao Kahn straightened himself in his throne. "I just wanted to congratulate you for your win earlier today."

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "You knew about my win?"

"Do not forget, we have a portal in the main palace that leads to here. I assume you haven't used it."

"I prefer to walk," Ivy replied.

Shao Kahn nodded. "Anyway, one of my Shadow Priests informed me just a few hours ago of your win."

"I see," Ivy said, understanding. "Now I assume that you have an assignment for me?"

After asking, Shao Kahn stood himself up. Ivy noted his tall form as he slowly walked down the steps before standing a couple of feet from her. "I did… however, I came to realize that all the assignments I have as of now are being taken care of as I speak."

A small smirk played on Ivy's face. "Not to sound too cocky but… if I was given the chance, these assignments would've been done by now."

Shao Kahn stared at her. "Indeed… do not get yourself too cocky. I've been an Emperor of Outworld for centuries and if there's one thing I know, it's that the conceited always meet an unfortunate end… a good example would be the recent demise of one of my guards, Adon… he believed himself to be a Muay Thai _God_. He thought he was better than anyone else. Now he's lies at the old fortress with a spike embedded in his torso."

The Emperor then lifted up a hand and placed his fingers underneath Ivy's chin. Ivy tilted her head a bit, though she was already staring up at him.

"Besides," Shao Kahn proceeded. "One with beauty such as yours is too good for these kind of assignments."

Ivy felt flattered by his words. However, she tried not to show her reaction in her face, even when her eyes scanned over his muscular form.

Soon, Shao Kahn moved his hand away. "You may take your leave. If any new assignments come up, I'll be sure to have you informed."

Ivy nodded. "Yes my lord," she said before turning around and walking out of the throne room.

Once the door closed, Shao Kahn walked over to his throne and sat down, resting a closed fist on the side of his head.

_Indeed she possesses a rare beauty,_ he thought to himself. _Perhaps she may be fit for my personal plan… that is, if she doesn't plan to commit treason._

~~~

**Unknown Area**

Throughout the morning and most of the afternoon, Quan Chi kept himself just outside of an area that was surrounded by large boulders and a river of lava. The area itself would be scorching hot for a mere mortal, but it was nothing to the sorcerer. If he could withstand the heat from the Netherrealm, then this was nothing to him.

This was the are where his nemesis Scorpion was located. Ever since Scorpion showed up here in Outworld, Quan Chi has been keeping tabs on him. He first sent some guards out to find his location, obviously not going to be located anywhere amongst the tournament grounds.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that one of the guards finally found Scorpion at this location. As much as Quan Chi wanted to go out after the ninja spectre afterward, he ended up having to wait. Shao Kahn wanted Scorpion here so that he didn't get the chance to win the tournament, the same reason for Akuma being at the fortress now. Whatever the case, Quan Chi had hoped to be the one to retrieve the spectre for the Emperor… and now he has that chance.

Hiding behind one of the large boulders, Quan Chi waited for Scorpion to show up. He knew that he had a tournament today and was going to most definitely win his match. Once Scorpion was in the Emperor's grasps, he would be omitted from the tournament.

While he waited, Quan Chi smirked to himself. It only felt like yesterday when the whole thing with Scorpion began…

_In a dark dungeon, Scorpion and Sub-Zero fought with ferocity with neither of them backing down anytime soon. They both seemed quite even in their personal match._

_Amongst the darkness, Quan Chi watched the two fight, neither one of them being aware of his presence. A smirk spread over his lips in satisfaction upon the realization that it was he who lead these two 'ninjas' to this fate._

_Years ago, Quan Chi made a deal with Sub-Zero's clan, the Lin Kuei. If a member of the clan would retrieve an ancient amulet for him, then he would destroy the members of Scorpion's clan, the Shirai Ryu. The Lin Kuei had sent Sub-Zero's older brother, also known as Sub-Zero, to retrieve the medallion. Unknown to them, Quan Chi had sent Scorpion out as well just incase Sub-Zero failed in his mission._

_The two opposites ended up reaching the amulet at the same time, neither one of them knowing Quan Chi's motives. The two fought, but it was Sub-Zero who killed Scorpion in cold blood. Since Sub-Zero succeeded, Quan Chi had Scorpion's clan, along with his wife and son, murdered._

_Years later, Quan Chi would learn of the younger Sub-Zero. Planning to get him out of the way, he manipulated Scorpion by telling him that it was Sub-Zero who had killed his family and clan, a statement that triggered more rage in Scorpion than ever..._

_Now here the two were in battle. Quan Chi continued to watch the two. Eventually though, it was Scorpion who got the upper hand, eventually knocking Sub-Zero to the floor. Once he knew that he had the win, Scorpion stood over his enemy, looking down at him with a raised fist._

_"_ _By defeating you Sub-Zero, I have avenged the death of my family and clan," Scorpion said to him. "Now my soul can finally rest."_

_Sub-Zero seemed to look up at the spectre in a bit of surprise. Yes, his older brother had killed him all those years ago…however, somehow, Scorpion believed that it was he who had killed his family_ and _the Shirai Ryu._

_Beginning to lose consciousness, Sub-Zero reached his hand up a bit in order to keep himself awake. "You're soul will never rest, Scorpion," he replied. "The Lin Kuei…may have been responsible for your murder… but your family's true killer still remains free…"_

_Scorpion seemed to look at Sub-Zero with a bit of confusion. "If you are not the murderer… then_ who _is?_ _"_

_From that moment, Quan Chi decided to reveal himself. At this point, to him, the climax of this entertainment has been reached, and now it was time for the grand finale._

"I _am the one you seek!" Quan Chi called out as he stepped out of the shadows. Scorpion quickly turned to him. Upon seeing the sorcerer, the confused look in Scorpion's eyes turned into a surprised one._

_The sorcerer then proceeded. "To defeat my nemesis Sub-Zero… I needed the power of a spectre." The smirk on Quan Chi's face slowly turned into a maniacal grin as he raised a hand in front of them. "You've done my bidding well, Scorpion. But now I must return you to the Netherrealm."_

_A high-pitched humming noise was heard as a white light began to surround the spectre. Scorpion realized that his body was slowly beginning to fade as he looked at his hands. He then looked over at the pale sorcerer with rage in his eyes… then began to run towards him._

_"_ _NEVER!" Scorpion shouted out as he hurled himself towards Quan Chi. Quan Chi himself had only managed to back away a couple of feet and was just about to turn around to run, but before he could, a bright white light hit his eyes…_

Quan-Chi showed no expression on his face as he thought about the last portion of what happened to him that night. He remembered realizing, once the light was gone, that he was now in the fifth plain of the Netherrealm… the only plain in the realm that weakened him.

He wasn't sure how long Scorpion tortured him down there before he finally made his escape to here. The day of his escape was the day he found _Chishio No Me_ …

Now here he was waiting for Scorpion to show up. Quan Chi knew that once Scorpion was here, he would notice his presence, even while out of sight.

Soon enough, Quan Chi heard a pair of footsteps nearby. _Ah, he has finally arrived,_ he thought. The sorcerer decided to wait then, just to see what could happen.

He was still able to hear the footsteps for a little while longer before they stopped. A pause lingered in the air for a few seconds before a deep voice broke the silence. "Quan Chi!" Scorpion called out. "I know you are hiding! Show yourself!"

_Good,_ Quan Chi thought as he stood up. _Just what I was expecting._

Briefly, Quan Chi peaked over and saw Scorpion standing a few yards away with his back turned to him. Slowly, Quan Chi stepped away from the boulder and walked a couple of feet towards the spectre while he was still looking around.

"I've always wondered," Quan Chi called out. Upon hearing his voice, Scorpion turned around to face him. Once he got his attention, Quan Chi continued. "If you indeed win The Blood Tournament, what exactly do you plan to do with the medallion?"

Scorpion ignored him as he disappeared with a burst of flames. Quan Chi rolled his eyes boringly and let out a sarcastic sigh, knowing what Scorpion was about to do. Quan Chi took a few steps to the side just as Scorpion passed him from above with a foot out.

After landing, Scorpion attempted to shoot out a spear, a move in which Quan Chi jumped out of the way from before hurling himself towards the spectre before he had the chance to retract the rope that connected to the spear.

Using the rope of the spear then, Scorpion threw the object upward and around so that it wrapped itself around Quan Chi's neck. Before Scorpion attempted to cut off his air supply, Quan Chi used his hands, which was surrounded by a green aura, to break himself free from the rope, letting the pieces drop to the ground afterward.

Scorpion then hurled himself at Quan Chi and the two of them exchanged various attacks for a moment. Then, Quan Chi managed to break through one of Scorpion's blocks and landed a few punches to the face and chest before kicking him back, sending the spectre flying back a few yards before landing on the ground.

Quan Chi casually walked towards Scorpion as he started getting up then. "Not so easy now, is it?" Quan Chi asked him with a sadistic laugh. "You were such a tough guy back in the Netherrealm, but guess what? We're not in the Netherrealm anymore! Because of this, my powers and strength are multiplied tenfold!"

Scorpion soon got himself on his feet. Quickly, he drew out one of his swords. The blade of this particular sword would burst into flames with even the slightest movement Scorpion made.

A green aura surrounded Quan Chi's hands again, bring them low to the ground before raising them up again. "Take this!" he called out.

The ground below rumbled a bit before a few areas of soil broke into pieces. Amongst those pieces, a handful of skeletons emerged from the ground wielding swords and shields. Once they were completely out of the ground, the holes that would've contained their eyes glowed a blood red. They then let out a demonic scream before jumping towards Scorpion.

To Scorpion, the skeletons would prove to be useless for Quan Chi as he easily took each of them down with just one or two hits each. However, the skeletons only proved to be a distraction as Quan Chi prepared himself for another attack.

Once Scorpion was able to take down all of the skeletons, he looked over at Quan Chi, who possessed a sadistic grin on his face with both hands reared back and his eyes glowing a bright red.

Quan Chi briefly chanted a spell before shooting his hands out. A gust of green mist shot out from his palms in such a speed that Scorpion never had the time to dodge of the way. The green mist hit his feet before quickly ascending towards his head. As the mists made their climb, they eventually turned into countless green skulls. Soon, the skulls had completely surrounded Scorpion from head to toe.

"Now to finish this!" Quan Chi called out as he waved his hands, still surrounded by a green aura, in the air. For a moment, he chanted a spell, which was said in a completely different language. His voice started out in a whisper, but the volume of his voice slowly went higher and higher and was soon screaming.

With a loud cry, Quan Chi extended his arms out quickly with both palms opened. Upon performing that maneuver, the green skulls burst as one explosion, the loud sound echoing throughout the area. Having received massive impact from the explosion, Scorpion's body fell to the ground, having already been rendered unconscious.

Soon, all was silent. Once he was sure that the spectre wasn't going to get up, Quan Chi walked over to Scorpion's unconscious form. Now standing over him, the sorcerer placed his closed fists on his hips before letting out a maniacal laugh.

"It's about damn time!" Quan Chi called out. "I don't know what the Emperor plans for you…but whatever it will be, it better equal to all of the torture I had to endure from you!"

Quan Chi's maniacal laugh continued on, echoing all throughout the area.

~~~

**Courtyard**

While watching an ongoing match, Julia Chang sighed to herself, feeling a bit bored. Not only that, but it was the fact that she was staring at the very ring that she lost in during the last round…

The very ring where she had her vicious fight with Mika.

Since that day, Julia and Mika had passed each other a couple of times on the cave grounds, but that was all… no exchange of words and no exchange of glances. Though Julia wished it never happened this way, it was best that it was the way it is now.

As she thought through this, she felt a sudden light nudge on her left side. Julia shook her head a little before turning to that particular direction, now looking at Ken Masters.

"Thinking about your last match?" Ken asked her.

Julia smirked as she shrugged a little. "Not really." She then looked up towards the sky, noting that the sun was getting close to setting behind the mountains. "Oh wow, it's almost evening already?"

"Not too many matches went by," said another voice to her right. Julia turned her head in that direction as Ryu continued. "So, time is going a bit fast now."

"That explains everything," Julia said.

The three of them fell silent then, putting their focus on the match that was going on in front of them. The two fighters in the ring fought extremely well. Eventually though, one of them ended up being knocked out of the ring, ending the match between them.

A few minutes went by before things were settled in the ring with the two previous fighters cleared out. By now, the run was halfway behind the mountains. The guards that were posted on each corner of the squared ring took a moment to light up the large torches that were located on each corner of the ring. With that, the flames brought light to the ring. They then took a moment to light the smaller torches that stood on either side of Shang Tsung's throne.

Once the torches were lit, Shang Tsung stood up. "And now, warriors, we have reached the last match of the evening!"

Ken reached his fist over to nudge Ryu's arm. "Great. Then that means you'll be fighting next."

Shang Tsung confirmed this by announcing the first of the two opponents for the match. "Ryu!"

Ryu smirked a little to Ken. "Indeed."

"Good luck," Julia said to him. Ryu nodded to her in reply before getting himself in the ring. When he was out of earshot, Julia turned to Ken. "You believe he'll win this one, right?"

"Well," Ken replied. "The competition seems to be getting tougher. But this is Ryu, we're talking about. He can take on anyone. I think he'll win this one."

Soon, Ryu reached the middle of the ring before stretching himself out a bit. Shang Tsung let a pause linger in the air before he announced Ryu's opponent…

"Jin Kazama!"

Ken and Julia's mouth dropped opened upon hear that name. They looked over at Ryu, who had a surprised look in his eyes. They then watched as Jin stepped over the ropes on the opposite side of them and began heading to where Ryu was standing.

"I've seen those two spar before," mentioned Ken. "They're really good fighters…" Noting that he was sitting in the front anyway, Ken slowly sat himself down on the floor.

Julia looked down at Ken and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you sitting down now?" she asked with curiosity.

"Let's face it," Ken answered with a grin. "This match is going to take a while."

Julia shrugged a little. "Well… why not?" she said as she sat down as well.

In the ring, Jin reached the middle and stood a couple of feet away from Ryu. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to think.

After a few seconds, Jin spoke. "Seems that we were destined to have a match in the tournament."

"Mm hm," Ryu agreed with a nod. He then placed a fist out in front of him. "Well, good luck… and let's show everyone a good fight."

Jin nodded as he lifted his own arm to tap his fist with Ryu's. "Agreed. And good luck as well." Then, the both of them got into their fighting stances.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

For a moment, the two of them stood where they were as they both waited for the other to make the first move. Soon enough, Jin decided to make the first move as he slightly glided his right foot forward before jumped forward with a fist in the air. He then quickly extended his arm to perform a punch, but Ryu managed to sidestep in time, letting the fist barely pass him. Jin then tried another punch, but Ryu managed to duck under as well before attempting his own punch in which Jin blocked with his forearm.

The move exchanged continued on for a couple of more minutes, leaving the viewers trying to guess who would eventually get the upper hand in the match. Then, Jin managed to finally connect a punch to Ryu's face, his closed hand briefly surrounded by red electricity as Ryu stumbled back a couple of feet.

Once he regained his composure, Ryu jumped forward and, while in the air, extended his leg out before spinning his body in rapid circles.

" _Hurricane kick!_ " Ryu called out. However, he ended up missing as Jin let himself drop to the ground in order to avoid the attack. Once Ryu passed him completely, he landed back on the ground with both feet.

As Ryu turned around, Jin quickly rolled himself forward before quickly getting back up to perform an uppercut, a maneuver in which Ryu quickly blocked. From there, the two of them exchanged more moves, but for a shorter time than previous.

When given the chance, Ryu quickly lifted up a leg high in the air before quickly bringing it down. He managed to connect the move on top of Jin's head, forcing him to fall forward to the floor. After landing, Jin quickly rolled sideways, ending up a couple of feet away from Ryu before getting back on his feet.

Ryu hurled himself towards Jin, but ended up being met with a double punch, in which he blocked, followed by an upward kick, the force of it sending him stumbling a couple of feet back. Then, as Jin attempted to cover the space between them, Ryu quickly ducked down and performed a sweep kick. He succeeded as he knocked Jin off his feet, sending him falling to the ground.

Quickly, Ryu got himself back on his feet just as Jin rolled himself back, getting himself on his feet as well. Then, the both of them got into a fighting stance, prepared for the other's attack. Almost immediately after they got into their stances, they heard the viewers around them clapping.

Indeed they were impressing them.

The two then circled each other, preparing themselves for what could happen next. Once again, Jin decided to make the first move as he jumped forward. He then performed an air kick in which Ryu blocked. He then followed up with a jumping roundhouse, this time connecting the move, forcing Ryu to stumble back again.

Once Ryu got his balance back, Jin hurled forward again. However, Ryu was prepared this time as he closed his right hand into a fist. When Jin was close enough, Ryu jumped up.

" _Shoryuken!_ " Ryu called out as he performed his powerful uppercut. The uppercut connected under Jin's chin, causing him to fly up a few feet in the air before crashing to the floor. Following that, Ryu landed safely back on the ground.

As Jin slowly got himself back up, Ryu decided to take the opportunity to collect energy in his hands, preparing himself to shoot out his _Shinkuu Hadouken_.

The younger fighter was soon back on his feet. He looked over at Ryu and saw that he was getting ready to shoot out a projectile. In retaliation, Jin bent his knees and extended his closed fists out. Then, he began collecting red electricity into his fists.

However, almost just as soon as Jin started doing this, Ryu let out a battle cry before shooting his hands out. A very large light blue projectile shot out, giving off such a power that it would definitely seem to have enough power to leave a lot of damage. For that moment, everyone shielded their eyes from the light (and those in the projectile's path had moved out of the way).

Soon, the projectile dispersed, letting everyone be able to see the ring now. Ryu scanned the area in front of him… and was very surprised to not see Jin there at all!

"What!" Ryu called out in surprise as his eyes widened.

At that moment, he heard a battle cry to his right. Ryu turned his head and was now seeing Jin running after him from just a couple of feet away with both hands surrounded by red electricity. Somehow, Jin was able to dodge from the projectile and was able to get himself closer to Ryu.

Ryu's projectile ended up being his own distraction!

Before he reached Ryu, Jin punched the air, letting out a powerful red bolt shoot out. The bolt landed on Ryu's chest and it hit him with such a force that Ryu suddenly found himself flying backwards for countless yards before landing on the ground.

The older fighter shook his head a little after landing. He was just about to get up to continue fighting, but upon seeing the view in front of him, he stopped… as he was now sitting _outside_ the ring.

Jin stood in the ring as he looked at Ryu with a surprised expression as Shang Tsung stood up from his throne. "Winner: Jin Kazama! This ends the Courtyard matches for the night!"

The viewers briefly clapped before dispersing for the night. This gave Ken and Julia the chance to make their way towards Ryu more easily.

"Are you all right?" Julia asked him.

Ryu shook his head a little as though he was mentally brushing himself off. "Um, yeah… I'll be fine."

"Damn man," Ken began to say. "Jin sure kicked your-"

"We get the idea," Julia quickly cut in.

As they talked, Jin had managed to make his way over to Ryu along with Cammy who was watching the match as well. Ryu, Ken, and Julia noticed the pair just as they were stepping out of the ring.

"Congratulations on your win," said Ken as he looked at Jin.

"Thanks," Jin replied with a nod. He then looked down at Ryu before placing a hand out. "I believe we did give a good match for the viewers."

Ryu smirked as he grabbed Jin's hand before pulling himself up. "I think we definitely did."

"You did good throughout this whole tournament," Jin mentioned to Ryu. "I think it would've been great if we had this match during the final round, but that was never meant to be."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. Then, his dark eyes seemed to light up a bit. "Say, let's head to the palace. I'm sure they're serving dinner by now and I'm starting to get hungry."

"I was going to bring up the same idea," Jin said.

Upon hearing that, Ken slapping his hand over his face, noting that the both of them had a similar appetite. "Not you too!" he said to Jin.

Cammy and Julia laughed at that as they understood what Ken meant. Soon, the five of them began leaving the area and starting heading to the palace for dinner.

~~~

**An Hour From The Tournament Grounds, West**

Time seemed to go by slow as Ashrah and Matrik continued fighting the currently-fused Noob and Sektor. Even while the two were being beaten down to the ground, even when they had little energy left, they both still kept going, not willing to give up.

At one point, Noob and Sektor managed to grab a hold of Matrik by her dreadlocks, spinning her in the air a couple of times before letting go. Ashrah was beginning to get herself back on her own feet but was quickly knocked back by a flying Matrik, the both of them flying a few feet before crashing to the floor.

The two of them slowly struggled to get themselves back up as Noob-Sektor approached them. Once the two reached them, they pulled out a black version of Sektor's pulse blade, having only one intention now.

"The time has come to meet your demise," the machine said in a demonic voice. It laid it's eyes on Ashrah before walking closer to her. Once over her, it raised the blade with one hand. "I'll see you in hell!"

Knowing that she was about to be killed any second, Ashrah raised one of her hands up weakly and it was surrounded by a white glow. She was just about to shoot out a projectile when a sudden black and blue blur came passed and rammed itself right into Noob-Sektor, forcing it to fly a few feet away before landing on the ground. Once the blur cleared, Ashrah was able to see who just rescued them.

"Sub-Zero!" Ashrah called out.

Sub-Zero was staring at Noob-Sektor, but still spoke to Ashrah and Matrik. "You two all right?"

Matrik nodded a bit after getting herself to sit up. "What happened to your fight with Smoke?"

"I managed to deactivate him so our mission has been completed," Sub-Zero replied. "We just need to get him back to the tournament grounds."

Ashrah looked over passed him and saw the gray cyborg on the floor and not moving. "We may have completed our task, but now we have a bigger problem."

"I see that," Sub-Zero said.

As Noob-Sektor sat itself up, a black shadow went over them and Noob managed to defuse himself from Sektor, now the both of them being back in their regular form. Afterwards, Sektor quickly whirled his head towards Noob. He had expected Noob to defuse so soon.

Noob noted Sektor's stare. "There is no more need for the fusion right now," he explained as they both stood up. "You take care of the huntress and the cyborg. They have been weakened anyway." He then looked over at Sub-Zero. "I'll take care of the ice ninja."

Accepting Noob's challenge, Sub-Zero got himself into his fighting stance. Noob followed afterwards just as Ashrah and Matrik finally got back on their feet. Sektor hurled himself towards the two, leaving the ice ninja and the wrath alone.

"We meet again, Sub-Zero," Noob said. "If I remember correctly, our last encounter was at the old hideout-"

"Enough talk and fight," Sub-Zero cut in bitterly.

"On the contrary," Noob began to say. "I think you should go back to a bit of… history for a moment."

Not caring for what Noob had to say, Sub-Zero launched himself at Noob and the two engaged in battle. They only exchanged a few punches before Noob got himself behind Sub-Zero to trip him, knocking the Lin Kuei Grandmaster to the floor.

"It would be of your best interest to listen in," Noob proceeded. "After all, it all concerns your _brother_."

Sub-Zero looked up at the dark wrath. Even with the mention of his deceased older brother, he showed no emotion. "What do you know about him?"

"Well… a few things," Noob replied. "As how he was the one who went on that mission to retrieve an amulet for Quan Chi. Being a long-time assassin with no mercy and that particular mission he went on, including the murder of Scorpion, tainted his soul. Perhaps he may had have the chance to atone for his sins… had he not been killed so soon afterward-"

Sub-Zero had managed to get himself back on his feet by this point. "Save it!" he growled. "Keep him out of this and let his soul rest!"

Noob suddenly let out a laugh that was both amused and maniacal. This lasted for a few seconds before continuing. "It's quite amusing that you should say that. And by the way…I've come to noticed that you have become much more stronger… ever since my soul has ascended into the Netherrealm. Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out by now…I AM your brother!"

The blank expression on Sub-Zero's face was now showing a bit of surprise, obviously trying to hold it back. "You lie."

"Why would I?" Noob said. "The only difference is that I've become a wrath, the future ruler of the Netherrealm! Your friend Smoke… it's too bad that he suffered the fate of turning into a cyborg while you went off to save your sorry hide! However, you have become much stronger. Maybe father _Shing_ would have been proud of you and maybe I would have as well… if I was still human."

Upon hearing his father's true name, Sub-Zero was now convinced that the wrath standing before him was indeed his brother. _With his soul tainted, he must've became a wrath as soon as he got to the forsaken realm,_ the ice ninja thought grimly.

However, before the conversation continued, Sub-Zero was suddenly hit by a flying Ashrah, who was thrown by Sektor, and the two went flying a few feet to the side before landing on the ground. This was quickly followed by Matrik, who ended up landing just next to them.

While he had the chance, Noob teleported away and went to one of the activated machines in the room. He only pressed a few buttons before the machine spoke;

" _Attention: Self-destruction in ten minutes._ "

"Damn it!" Ashrah called out as she sat up after hearing the machine.

Matrik sat up as well and quickly scanned the room, seeing that both Noob and Sektor had already taken their escape. "We have to get out of here!" she highly suggested.

By then, Sub-Zero was already on his feet and he was just beginning to pick up the deactivated Smoke. Matrik managed to get herself on her feet and assisted Sub-Zero in carrying Smoke out. With Ashrah in the lead, the three of them made their escape.

By the time they were able to see the exit out of the cave, they felt a rumble beneath their feet and knew that the machine had self-destructed. Using whatever strength they had left, they raced out of the room and had just managed to get out as the fireball following them reached the exit. They stepped to the side, going a few yards away before dropping to the ground. After a few minutes the fireball ceased and all was silent aside from a few patches of fire near the entrance.

"We… made it…" Ashrah managed to say in between breaths.

"And we've completed our first task," Matrik said as she looked down at Smoke. She then looked over at Sub-Zero. "I saw you talking with Noob… what happened?"

"Huh…" Sub-Zero uttered a bit as he had dazed out for a moment. Not looking at Matrik, he replied. "It was nothing important."

"Just talking about how he's going to destroy you?" guessed Ashrah.

"…Yeah."

The three fell silent at that moment, deciding to take a moment to rest before they began their journey back to the cave grounds. As they did, Sub-Zero looked up towards the sky for a moment. The sun was just finishing up with setting for the night. There were indeed here for quite a while.

_So… my brother returns as a wraith,_ he thought grimly. _It's not just about Smoke or the Tekunin anymore…_

Sub-Zero had succeeded in rescuing Smoke from Noob and Sektor's clutches with Ashrah and Matrik's help. There was still Sektor and the Tekunin to deal with, the whole reason he was here in Outworld to begin with. Now, knowing the truth about Noob Saibot, this has now become a more personal battle.

At that moment, Sub-Zero swore that, even if it killed him, that he would find a way to have his brother's soul finally rest.


	51. Chapter Fifty

**_One day before Round Six…_ **

**Main Palace**

Entering the dining quarters, Siegfried gently rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his fingers as the sound of chatter in the room reached his ears. After placing his hand down, he let out a small sigh before going to the food area to get his lunch.

It was only a half hour ago when Siegfried woke up, surprised by how late he had slept in. It only took him a half hour to get himself ready for the day once he was out of bed. He then left to get himself something to eat, not even bothering to fix the sheets on his bed.

The line to get the food was shorter than it normally was around this time, but the Keisei native didn't care too much. All he cared about was getting something to eat, feeling his stomach rumble a few times as he got closer to the food. Once he finally reached the table, he got himself a couple of slices of ham steaks and three bread rolls. Deciding to get a drink later, he then began to look for a table.

As he continued scanning for an empty table, Siegfried soon spotted Queen Sindel sitting a few rows back. Upon seeing her, he realized that it's been a while since he saw any of his Edenian friends. As a matter of fact, since the last time he saw Kitana, the three suddenly seemed to… disappear.

_Hopefully everything is all well,_ he thought as he decided to approach Sindel.

Sindel had just placed her fork down on the tray, her food mostly eaten, when she happened to look up and saw Siegfried coming over to her. She frowned a bit, remembering what Kitana witnessed when she saw Siegfried transform into something unknown.

"Good afternoon, Sindel," Siegfried said as he reached the table.

Sindel stood up quickly, the tray in her hands. "Hello, Siegfried."

While she maneuvered herself around the chair, Siegfried could tell that she seemed to be in a bit of a rush. "Is everything all right?" he suddenly asked.

Sindel stopped herself after hearing his voice. Staying silent for a moment, she decided that it was better to do what needed to be down for the sake of hers, Jade's, and especially Kitana's safety. That's only if their speculation of him actually being evil was true. Of course, they couldn't confront him about that for obvious reasons.

To her, it was definitely a hard decision to make. To her, Siegfried seemed like a nice young man and it broke her heart at the very thought of pushing him back, especially away from her daughter.

The Queen of Edenia slowly back down then and looked straight into Siegfried's blue eyes. "Listen Siegfried," she said. "A… situation came up quite recently."

"What kind of situation?" Siegfried asked curiously.

Sindel looked down at her tray and sighed again. "I'm sorry… it's not my place to tell you what's going on. It's a pretty serious one, let's just say." She looked up at him again. "You're a very nice young man, Siegfried. You've made mine, Jade, and Kitana's stay in Outworld a nice one. This is quite a hefty situation and… I'm afraid that we have to cut contact from now on."

Siegfried's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting this sort of explanation. "Is… is there anything I could do to help?"

Sindel stood up with the tray in her hands. "No… there's nothing you can do… I'm sorry…" Without saying any more, she maneuvered herself around the table and took her leave.

The Keisei native let out a quiet, deep sigh once the older woman disappeared within the crowd. For the past few years, he had been traveling alone. However, only now was he realizing the disadvantages of loneliness… the sorrow that came with it and the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he had his mother who was currently residing in his home world, but he wasn't ready to face her, not after all he's been through.

_Maybe it's better this way,_ he thought.

Siegfried looked down at his plate, staring at the food that was laid out in front of him. After his previous thoughts, he suddenly realized that he had lost his appetite. With another sigh, Siegfried stood up and began leaving the palace, intending on talking a long walk in the forest.

~~~

**Cave**

Reaching for one of the curtains, the Thunder God Raiden slowly took one of the edges of the curtain and pulled it over a bit. Peering into the room, he saw Sub-Zero sitting on a chair while working hard on repairing Smoke, who was lying on the bed. The room they were in now was planned to be Smoke's room.

Smoke was the latest chosen one.

Raiden waited until Sub-Zero brought his hands away from the gray cyborg before speaking. "How is everything going, old friend?" he asked.

Sub-Zero turned to where Raiden was standing. He waved a hand, signaling him to come in. Raiden did so, closing the curtain behind him.

"I'm still working on the repairs," Sub-Zero replied. "Smoke took pretty good damage in our fight yesterday. I wish that didn't happen, but it was the only way to deactivate him."

"I see," Raiden said. "Well, I came to tell you that a majority of our chosen ones are either napping or outing. So now, it'll be easier for you to concentrate. And yes, Rose went on an outing as well, so you won't hear us arguing anytime soon."

"Heh," Sub-Zero said a bit amused. "Well thank you, Raiden."

"Anytime," Raiden nodded.

Before Raiden left the room, Sub-Zero looked at him with a bit of seriousness. "Raiden… there's something I have to know."

"Go on," Raiden encouraged.

"…Have you always known that my brother became a wraith after his soul descended into the Netherrealm."

Raiden frowned a bit, remembering Sub-Zero informing him of his older brother's fate last night. "I'm afraid that I wasn't aware of his fate," the Thunder God replied a bit grimly. "As the protector of Earthrealm, I only know what goes on in that particular realm. Only the Elder Gods know what goes on in all the realms."

"I understand," Sub-Zero said. "But another thing… when you worked with him all those years ago, did you think he would he would suffer this sort of fate?"

"To be honest," Raiden began to say. "I knew that his soul would descend into the Netherrealm. He wasn't able to atone for his sins from his mission to retrieve the Amulet before death consumed him. The only thing I was aware of was that he had gone to that realm. Whatever went on afterward was beyond my control.

"For now, I advise that you concentrate on getting Smoke repaired and our mission. Once all of this is over, I will happy to help you with any assistance you need."

Sub-Zero nodded. "Thank you, Raiden."

"Any time my friend," Raiden answered. "I'll take my leave now, but I will be in the cave all day if you need anything." With that, Raiden left the room.

Immediately afterward, Sub-Zero continued with Smoke's repairs. As he did this, thoughts came to him as he remembered the day he and Smoke attempted to escape the old Lin Kuei when they decided to turn their members into cyborgs. Sub-Zero and Smoke had both tried to escape their clan years ago. The ice ninja could never forget the moment a couple of members caught up to them and managed to capture Smoke. Sub-Zero had stopped for a moment, but Smoke encouraged him to make his escape while he could… and that's exactly what he did.

Even now, Sub-Zero regretted his decision. He had wished that he would have fought off Smoke's captures. Then perhaps he would've had a chance then. Perhaps today, he would've been human.

Now, despite being a cyborg for the remainder of his life, Smoke was free… free from the old Lin Kuei, and now free from Noob Saibot.

As Sub-Zero continued repairing Smoke, he realized that he couldn't wait until the tournament was over. When it was over, it'll be his time to take care of both Noob and Sektor.

~~~

**Later That Evening, Cave Grounds**

Walking out of the cave, Julia quickly found herself buttoning the buttons of her denim jacket as a big gust of cold wind hit her. Her double braids swayed behind her almost immediately.

"Wow," she muttered to herself. "It's colder than usual tonight." Julia then sighed a bit as she tried to imagine the Arizona heat, a way to at least mentally keep her warm. "To think that summer is just starting up back on Earth."

Julia had originally gone outside to clean off her hands that were dirty from collecting wood with some of the girls earlier, having just returned only a few moments. She was about to take a step forward when she noticed a white color from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to get a better view and smirked a little as she noticed Ryu appearing from behind the trees, walking towards the cave entrance. The Arizona native waited until the Ansatsuken fighter approached the entrance.

"Hey Ryu," Julia said to him. "Coming back from training?"

Ryu nodded to her. "You could say that. Mostly I've been mediating for a while."

"I see," Julia replied. She the noticed the fact that there were no sleeves on Ryu's white karate gi. "Hey, aren't you cold in that?"

"Not really," Ryu said knowing what she meant. "I've traveled in much worse temperatures than this."

Julia smirked a little. "Lucky you. I'm not really a big fan of cold weather." She laughed a little before proceeding. "Probably because I don't own a lot of long-sleeved shirts."

Ryu smirked with amusement. "Say, have you eaten dinner yet?"

"Actually, I already have," Julia answered. "I had an early dinner a couple of hours ago with some of the girls."

"Oh good," Ryu said. "Because I already ate earlier too."

"That's good," Julia smiled. She then looked over towards the beach area which wasn't too far of a walk. "Well, I actually came outside because I need to wash my hands thanks to some firewood collecting. Do you want to go walking for a bit?"

Ryu looked up at the sky for a moment in order to get an idea of what time it was. Though the sun was now completely behind the mountains, it still left some light source in the purple sky.

"Sure," he finally answered. "Let's not take too long though."

"Agreed," Julia said. "Definitely don't want to catch a cold now."

"Heh, true," agreed Ryu.

Soon, the two of them began walking towards the beach area. As they did, they passed the lit campfire where Cammy and Lita were roasting marshmallows. For the moment, the two women watched the two walking down to the beach together.

When they were out of earshot, Lita turned to Cammy. "Ah, don't you love the romance around here?"

Cammy sighed with a bit of happiness as she thought about Jin. "Yeah… it is nice…"

Lita realized then who she was talking to. "Well of course you do! You have your bloke, Jin!"

Cammy removed the marshmallow from the campfire, using a stick from a tree. "Lita Luwanda, quit worrying about being single for the remainder of your life. I'm sure you'll find someone sooner than you think. Maybe not now, but soon."

Lita shrugged. "Well… maybe soon is better than now…considering that we're currently in another world. If I decided to find someone now, it'll probably end up in disaster. Knowing my luck, I'd end up with some six-eyed guy who's goolies have been replaced with a third leg!"

Cammy nearly snorted while laughing at Lita's last sentence. "And I'm sure that guy would think we're weird looking too."

"Maybe," Lita replied before taking a bit of her cooked marshmallow. When she shifted her eyes to her right, Lita happened to notice Jin appearing from behind the trees not too far from them. "Ah, look who's coming." Lita stood up then. "I think I'll go leave you two alone now. Perhaps I'll see if McCoy, Ginzu, and maybe Wolfman are interested in playing cards or something."

"All right," Cammy said. "I'll see you soon then,"

Lita smirked more as she playfully tipped her red beret like a top hat. "Cheerio," she said with a little laugh, clearly playing around, before taking her leave.

Moments later, Jin reached Cammy. Cammy noted the bead of sweat that had developed on his forehead. "Training?" she asked him.

"Yup, just got done," Jin replied as he sat down.

"You didn't go too far, did you?" Cammy asked him.

"Only for a minute," Jin replied. "Besides, I was training with Ryu the whole time."

"Ah… I'm glad to hear that Ryu is still training even after his loss yesterday."

"He's very dedicated to the fight," Jin mentioned. "As a matter of fact, _he_ was the one who offered to train with me so that I can better prepare for the next match."

"That's right!" Cammy called out, suddenly remembering something. "You and Kenshi are the only ones in the cave still in the tournament!" The young woman sighed a little then. "You two must be feeling the pressure."

"A little bit, at least for me," Jin said. "Kenshi seems pretty calm about it, at least it looks like it to me. We haven't really talked about it much."

"It'd be great if you both made it to the final round."

"Yeah, it would be nice. However, there is that chance that we could face each other beforehand."

"That better not happen," Cammy hoped. "We're all just hoping for the best, really. It'll be just as good if only one of you made it to the final round."

Jin managed to crack a small smile. "I think the pressure will _really_ settle in then."

Upon seeing his smile, Cammy smiled as well as she brought herself closer to him. Seeing her do so, Jin wrapped a single arm around her and she rested her head on his broad shoulder.

"How was your day?" Jin asked her in a more quiet voice.

"Boring as nearly everyday is since I lost the tournament," Cammy answered as she looked down on the ground. "Lita, McCoy, and I spent the whole day patrolling the palace. Honestly, I'm beginning to believe that our mission isn't going anywhere. I don't think the people we're looking for are really there, and we've talked to so many people here that I think we've covered everyone."

"Just do the best you can, even if you only get one small lead in the end," Jin encouraged. He then slightly turned his head to her. "I'm going to go to the springs for a while."

"Going at night now?" Cammy asked as she noticed that the sky was now completely dark.

"No one goes there after dark as far as I know," Jin mentioned. "Besides, it's much more peaceful at night."

This gave Cammy an idea. A wide grin came over her lips as she looked up into his dark eyes. "May I join you?"

Jin's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "You really want to go?"

Cammy shifted her head so that it was aligned with his. "For one thing, from what you mentioned, I'm sure we'll be completely alone. And second, remember the cave rules... no one is to venture off alone outside the cave grounds. And third…" she grinned more. "It's where we first met."

Jin smirked as he remembered his first encounter with Cammy when they first came to Outworld. She had accidentally walked into the men's hot springs and got a view of him in all of his glory.

"Well… if you insist," he finally said.

"Good," Cammy said. She briefly kissed him before standing herself up. "I'll go get the towels."

"I'll… wait here then," Jin replied with a shrug. With that, Cammy went inside to get the towels for their trip to the springs.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

In the level above the dungeons, Shao Kahn was being lead to one of the chambers by Baraka and Reptile. The Emperor has been aware of a couple of… preparations that were taking placed during the passed couple of days. Now those preparations were ready for his viewing.

"Everything is ready, Emperor," said Baraka as the three of them reached the door of one of the chambers.

Nothing more was said as Reptile opened the door before walking in with Baraka following afterwards. Shao Kahn went into the chamber a moment later with Baraka closing the door behind him.

The only light in the room was of a blue color and it wasn't coming from any oil candles. Instead, the light came from auras that surrounded two individuals, both of them in a deep slumber as their bodies floated just a foot about a stoned table. Shao Kahn shifted his eyes to the right, seeing the demon Akuma sleeping and unmoving. He then looked to the left where the ninja spectre Scorpion was, being in the same state as Akuma. Also in the room were a handful of Shadow Priests who were scattered around the room as they floated where they were silently.

"With the spells on them," began Baraka. "They cannot escape our grasps. These Shadow Priests will continue to keep them in their sleeping state until you need use of them."

"And with them being captured," said Reptile. "They have been officially eliminated from the tournament. They will have no chance of winning now, just like you wanted."

"Good," Shao Kahn spoke. He turned his head to Reptile. "But keep in mind… they weren't just captured because they had the best chance of winning."

"You have other plans for them?" Baraka asked curiously.

Shao Kahn turned his head back to the sleeping demon and spectre. "Yes… as a matter of fact, they have much more use to me. However, their use will not occur until after the tournament."

"Will you be brainwassssshing them?" asked Reptile.

Shao Kahn eyed the two Generals. "Must you ask so many questions?!" he called out in a harsh tone that was enough to keep their mouths shut. However, he answered the question anyway. "No, it's actually not necessary. Why brainwash these two when I can have their power for myself? With the medallion, it's possible to obtain their power. Perfectly necessary for our plans."

"Indeed," agreed Baraka.

"Now," Shao Kahn continued. "I want you two to keep guard of the chamber door for a while. No one is to pass these doors except me!"

"Yessss massster," said Reptile. Soon after, the Emperor turned around and left his chamber as his long blood red cape swayed behind him.

~~~

**Forest, Near The Main Palace**

Sitting in the forest cross-legged, Yoshimitsu looked on in front of him as his eyes laid view on the scenery in front of him. Though mostly dark, with the exception of some light from the moon, he was able to clearly see the shadows that shaped out the many trees that surrounded him. Through the green leaves, he was able to see the night sky above.

Ever since he was attacked by a mysterious person during the third round of the tournament, Yoshimitsu kept a very low key, keeping himself out of sight from anyone on the tournament grounds. During the day, he stayed in his room in the palace with the doors locked and the curtains completely closed over the glass doors that lead to the small balcony. At night when the sun was completely set, he would make himself invisible, unseen by anyone, and made his way over here where he remained until just before sunrise.

Here, he would mediate and train himself intensively. Since that evening during the third round of the tournament, no one has attacked him since. Once in a while, he would feel a presence nearby, but once he went out to check it out, nothing was there. More than likely it was just a few passerby's, but he wasn't going to rule out spies just yet.

So that he didn't draw attention to himself, Yoshimitsu decided to avoid the tournament completely, since he lost anyway. He decided to keep low until Round Seven. By then, he would know who the four finalists of the tournament will be, who he will warn about the medallion's power, the very artifact that almost consumed him years ago.

With Round Six beginning tomorrow, it wouldn't be long before that happened.

As he continued with his thoughts, Yoshimitsu suddenly felt yet another presence nearby, located just to his right.

_Three of them_ _,_ he thought as he stood himself up.

Slowly, he shifted to his left and brought himself behind a tree where he turned himself invisible. Immediately afterward, he jumped up to the first thick branch on the tree and stood on it with both feet.

"Where did he go?!" he suddenly heard not too far. A sound of a few footsteps were heard running over towards where Yoshitmistu was sitting previously. Three individuals came into view soon enough. Yoshimitsu noted that all three men were wearing the same dark armor that the last guy was wearing when he attacked him.

_Seems that they came here for the same reason,_ he thought.

Yoshimitsu waited until all three men's back were turned to him, which didn't take long. Quietly with his katana in hand, he jumped down from the tree and landed behind them before getting out of his invisible mode. None of the three men realized what was going on until one of their heads was chopped clean off from their body.

The other two men were stunned by what happened for just a moment before turning around to face the man they were originally after. Raising their swords up, the two ran towards him to attack. However, Yoshimitsu was much more prepared than they were as he fought the both of them with ease. It only took him a few seconds to pierce his sword through the second man's neck, his head rolling away afterward.

Following that, Yoshimitsu took his sword and stabbed the third man in the shoulder in between the armor he wore. He then pushed him forward as the tip of the katana exited from behind before being pushed into a tree, pinning the third man.

The man screamed in pain for a moment before looking up, seeing the rage on the being he was supposed to attack.

"Who sends you to kill me?!" Yoshimitsu demanded. The man didn't answer right away, causing Yoshimitsu to push the sword in deeper. "WHO SENT YOU?!"

The man cried out in pain again through clenched teeth. "He… his name is Quan Chi… but… he gets his information from… someone else… who discovered you…" Unknown to Yoshimitsu, the man had pulled out a knife from his pouch.

"I won't hesitate to kill you if you don't tell me everything," Yoshmitsu growled.

The man suddenly smiled. "…That won't be necessary." He lifted up the knife and, to Yoshimitsu's surprise, cut his throat deeply.

As the man's throat made a gurgling noise before his body went limp. Knowing that he was dead at that point, Yoshimitsu pulled his katana out of him, his body falling to the ground like a rag doll.

_Quan Chi is your name_ _,_ Yoshimitsu thought as he placed his bloody katana back in it's scabbard. He's heard the name before throughout the beginning of the tournament, but that was about it.

Soon enough, however, he would investigate and find out exactly who Quan Chi is.

~~~

**Cave**

_Just a few more notches and we'll be set,_ Sub-Zero thought as he connected two wires together in Smoke's mechanical chest cavity.

Hours have passed since the ice ninja began working on repairing his friend Smoke from damages he received yesterday when he, Ashrah, and Matrik rescued him. Only twice he took a break, once to get something to eat (as Raiden encouraged it), and the other to rest his hands.

After a couple of more adjustments, Sub-Zero closed the compartment to Smoke's chest, feeling that he was ready to be activated. He pressed a few buttons on Smoke's arm panel and all the lights came up. It was another moment before a moan escaped from the gray cyborg.

Sub-Zero backed up, giving room for his friend who seemed to look around the room for a moment before sitting himself up on the bed.

"Welcome back, old friend," Sub-Zero finally said after what seemed like a long silence.

Slowly, Smoke turned his head to Sub-Zero as he tried to recollected his thoughts. "Sub-Zero," Smoke finally said in a robotic tone. "Are… we still in Outworld?"

Sub-Zero nodded. "Yeah. What's the last thing you can remember?"

Smoke fell silent as he slowly moved his head around as though he was trying to figure out where he was. "It's coming back to me…" he slowly replied. "…Now I remember. Raiden had summoned me after you reprogrammed me to fight Shao Kahn…"

A frown came over the ice ninja's face. Obviously between the time he was shut down until yesterday, a part of Smoke's memory was deleted from his system. His most recent memory now was the time during the invasion of Earthrealm by Shao Kahn and his forces years ago.

After staying silent for a moment, Sub-Zero told me the whole story, from the aftermath of the Earth invasion to the events that took place only twenty-four hours ago. Though Smoke obvious couldn't express himself much, Sub-Zero could tell in a way that his friend was surprised by all the years that had passed.

"Seems like a blink of an eye," Smoke sighed.

"Yes," Sub-Zero answered. "I'm not sure where Noob had found you, but I suspect that it was somewhere here, perhaps maybe a year or two ago, I'm not sure."

"What happens now?"

"Well," the ice ninja began. "Right now, there's a tournament underway consisting of the best fighters in the universe. The prize is a medallion that's supposed to be the most powerful artifact in existence. My job, along with others here in the cave, is to make sure that the medallion falls into the right hands."

Smoke nodded. "And what of me?"

Sub-Zero smirked. "You are now one of the chosen ones. There's not much to do at the moment with the tournament underway, but I believe Raiden will come up with something if our original plan doesn't work out."

"I will need some rest for a couple of days, but I will be honored to help," Smoke said. "I hope that this will a way to redeem myself for whatever sins I've committed while under Noob's control. And when I get the chance, I'll seek revenge against Noob."

Sub-Zero fell silent. The fact that Noob is his long-deceased brother was the only portion of the story he omitted from Smoke, at least for now…

~~~

**Beach Area**

The normally windy breezes of Outworld seemed to finally calm down as Julia and Ryu strolled along the beach area near the cave. During their walk, the two made sure to stay in view of the lit campfire. That way, they wouldn't end up finding themselves wandering off the campground, even if they were together.

"Seems that the winds have finally calmed down," Ryu said as he looked up into the dark sky.

"Yeah," Julia agreed as she looked up at the sky as well. A smirk came over her face then. "You know… I just had a thought."

"And what's that?" Ryu asked curiously.

Julia stopped walking and looked at Ryu, who also stopped walking as soon as she did. "I remember when we all first came here. To us, this was a new place to explore with new things to discover. However, with the long amount of time we've been here, I'm… kind of getting bored."

"Ken expressed the same thing at dinner tonight," Ryu replied.

Julia laughed a little. "I don't blame him. There's only so much we can do here. I've read all my books that I brought with me and I could only train for so long." She shrugged a little. "It's funny… I didn't think about any of this until I lost the tournament. I guess once you lose your match, there's really nothing else for me here."

Ryu sighed a little. "I guess I'll be experiencing the same feeling within the next couple of days."

"Well look on the bright side," Julia said with a warm smile. "At least you made it as far as you did."

"Yeah, that's true," Ryu said with a small sigh.

Upon hearing him sigh, Julia's smile seemed to fade then and she soon found herself looking out at the clear water in front of her. Ryu turned his head to her upon realizing that she had grown silent and soon noticed the rare-small frown on her face.

"Is everything all right?" he asked her.

Julia shook her head a little upon hearing his voice. "I was thinking about my mother. I've taken your advice to wait for the writer of the letter that was sent to me to show up. Nothing has progressed, unfortunately. A part of me is beginning to wonder if this is even true… if it was nothing more than a prank."

"Don't think that," Ryu assured her. "The only thing I can think of is that the person is waiting for the right moment… maybe perhaps waiting until after the tournament to talk to you."

Julia nodded a bit as she began to feel a little more hope again. She looked up at Ryu after a moment. "Thank you. I don't know how else to say it but… you've been a good friend since day one, putting up with me and everything."

"It's no problem, as Ken would say," Ryu said with a smirk.

Julia laughed a little at Ryu's last comment. As she did, she slowly found herself gazing into his dark eyes. She couldn't understand why at that moment, but to her, it began with a single thought. However, the thought soon became real as she leaned herself forward and slowly left a brief kiss on Ryu's lips before pulling away. Julia looked at him afterwards and saw that his eyes widened a bit more and his jaw had partially dropped in surprised.

The young woman suddenly found her cheeks turning red, wondering if she had just made a mistake just now. "Um…" she began to say. "I, eh, think we should head back…"

She began walking back towards the cave, but had only taken two steps when she suddenly tripped over her own feet out of nervousness. Seeing her fall at that moment, Ryu reached over with both arms out and he managed to catch her. After being caught, Julia turned herself around so that she was facing him.

"You all right?" Ryu said with a smirk.

Julia laughed a little, her nervousness ceasing. "Yeah… I am now. Remind me not to rush like that again."

From there, Ryu got the message of what Julia was thinking… she believed that with her kissing him just moments ago that she may have ruined their friendship. Ryu thought through this for a split moment before leaning down towards her to return the kiss, easing her fears. Ryu himself couldn't understand why he felt the need to kiss her, but it was an easy answer… he had feelings for her that he kept denying. Now that they were kissing however, he couldn't deny those feelings any longer.

Their kiss only lasted a minute, but to them it felt like an eternity. The kiss was still for a moment, but soon their lips moved in a slow rhythm as Julia wrapped her arms around Ryu's waist.

Soon, however, Ryu slowly pulled away from the kiss and the two gazed into each other's eyes. Both were a brown color with his being a dark shade and hers being a lighter shade.

Julia found herself smirking after a few seconds. "We should go back inside."

A breeze hit them at that point and Ryu nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

While holding hands, the two began walking back towards the cave.

~~~

**Hot Springs**

After a bit of a walk, Jin and Cammy finally reached the outdoor hot springs, heading over to the men's area together. As they hoped, no one was there. Aside from the small light coming from the moon, the area was dark.

The two got themselves in bathing suits and towels (undressing in separate areas) before going over to where the water was. Even in the dark, the two were able to see the steam that rose from the water.

"It feels so different at night," Cammy said as she slowly got herself in the water. After sitting down completely and placing her towel on the walkway, Jin followed, placing his towel next to Cammy's and sat next to her.

"It is different," Jin agreed. "But that's what I like about it. Considering how long we've been here now, it's a nice change from the old routine."

"Hmm… how long have we been here now?" Cammy asked.

"Let's see…we came here on a Saturday…" Jin began counting in his head before replying. "Heh… thirty-three days."

Cammy's eyes widened in surprise. "That long?! Sure doesn't feel like it… actually, it feels longer."

Jin smirked a little. "I think the time went by moderately for me."

The blonde woman eyed him. "That's only because you're still in the tournament. Time must go faster that way it seems."

"Perhaps," Jin replied.

Cammy brought herself a bit closer to Jin then. The young man looked at her as she placed an arm on his shoulder.

"So I'm wondering," she said. "If you win this tournament… what do you plan to do with that medallion?"

Jin stayed silent for a moment. He looked up at the sky to make it look as though he was trying to think. The truth was… he already knew what he wanted to do with the artifact. He wanted to be rid of his devil gene once and for all. However, it was something that he didn't want Cammy to know…

"I'm not sure," he lied. "Perhaps I'll know once I have it in my hands."

With a finger, Cammy slowly made an imaginary circle on his arm as she gazed up at him with her eyes. "Well… whatever they are, I hope they are good things."

Jin soon found himself gazing at Cammy as well. He lifted up a hand that was originally under water and brushed her cheek with his fingers. He began to find himself admiring her beauty. Her round face was, aside from the scar on her cheek, flawless, her complexion a light peach. More than anything, he admired her deep blue eyes which seemed to gleam under the moonlight.

"I'm sure they will be good things," he found himself whispering.

Cammy noted the affection Jin was giving her and she smiled as his finger brushed her face gently. Closing her eyes, she leaned her face into his hand as he slowly leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

Despite the affection, a thought came to Cammy, one she had to take to Jin about. "I wonder… what will happen to us once we return to Earth…?"

Jin kissed her forehead again before shifting his head to look at her. By then, Cammy had opened her eyes.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," he said as he wrapped his free arm around her slim figure. "Right now, let's enjoy what we have."

With that, Jin leaned in again and the two found themselves sharing a soft kiss. For a moment, the kiss went into a slow rhythm. Soon, they found their kiss deepening as they let themselves get lost in the passion. During that moment, Cammy brought herself closer to Jin, placing her hands on his broad chest. Jin had both of his arms around her as he began to slowly rub his hands up and down her back.

Some time passed before Jin broke the kiss. For a second, Cammy felt a bit disappointed, but soon felt Jin's warm lips leaving a trail of kisses on her neck... Cammy leaned her head to the side a bit to give him room. His kisses and touch began to send chills up her spine, even in a place as warm as the hot springs.

Speaking of the hot springs, it suddenly felt much warmer to Cammy than before. She wasn't sure whether it was the springs itself, or the heat of the passion she and Jin were in at the moment.

Soon, Jin pulled away from her neck and looked over at her. Cammy gazed at him as well and once again, the two shared another passionate kiss. This one lasted much longer than the last one, this time with their tongues dancing together in their mouths.

After the long kiss ended, Cammy began to ache for Jin more. Jin knew this too as he noted the lustful look in her eyes. In reply, he slowly lifted Cammy up and out of the springs, causing her to let out a short squeal in surprise before chuckling. Her laugh made Jin smile… she indeed had a nice laugh.

After placing Cammy down, Jin reached over for his towel and spread it out completely on the walkway. From there, he and Cammy laid themselves on the towel before resuming to their passion.

That night, the two of them consummated. And strangely enough, Jin didn't think about his bloodline at any point during that time...

~~~

**Forest, Far From The Tournament Grounds**

Having been distracted since departing from the main palace earlier, Siegfried was a bit caught by surprise when he realized how late it got upon looking up at the dark sky. During his time in the forest, he had walked the majority of the time and also trained in preparation for the sixth round of the tournament, which began tomorrow.

Siegfried knew that he was far from the tournament grounds as he didn't exactly recognize the area he was in. At this point, the young man had kept his mind clear from any thoughts. However, now deciding to return to the main palace for the night, thoughts of his encounter with Sindel at lunch came back to him.

The Queen of Edenia had mentioned that there a situation at hand and because of it they had to cut contact with him. How urgent was this situation exactly and why was it that they had to cut contact with him?

If Siegfried knew what exactly the situation was, he wouldn't hesitate to assist the three women. The only thing he can think of was that it was a matter they wanted to take care of and that to cut contact with him, they were only protecting him.

Either they were extremely independent or extremely stubborn.

_Whatever it is, I hope it'll be taken care of,_ Siegfried thought with a sigh.

As he continued walking, he began to pass what looked like a camp site. It was recognizable to Siegfried as he had passed it earlier. Beforehand, the area was completely deserted, but now a few tarkatans stood around the camp talking amongst themselves. Not interested, Siegfried continued walking.

However, the small group of tarkatans noticed him. One of them spoke. "Heh, look at that human! Thinking their better than everyone!-"

They group continued to mock him, but Siegfried ignored them as he continued walking, not even listening to what they had to say. He wasn't sure how many minutes passed before a blue projectile hit the back of his head, causing him to fly forward and landing on the ground face first.

Upon landing, his right hand began to shake…

Quickly, the tarkatans surrounded him, their blades out of their forearms and ready to strike. "You worm! Listen when I talk to you!" one of them yelled out.

Another spoke. "Forget it. This one is weak."

"He's only good for meat," another mentioned.

By then, Siegfried had blacked out, but not because he lost unconsciousness.

Siegfried's body was suddenly engulfed by a dark aura. The tarkatans slowly backed away, a bit surprised by this, but none the less watched. The dark aura lifted itself up, taking the body with it.

"What the-" one tarkatan tried to say.

Suddenly, a large sword quickly emerged from the aura and before any of them could react, all the tarkatans were quickly killed with one swift strike, their lifeless bodies flown back a few feet before landing on the ground. A moment passed before green mists emerged from their body and floated towards the dark aura.

When the mist reached the energy, the dark aura disintegrated. A completely different being, wearing blue armor and possessing demon-like eyes from underneath the helmet stood where the aura had been, and the green mists were sucked into the being's right arm, which was raised in the air.

If this being was currently in Keisei, many would know him as the feared being known as Nightmare. And in his left hand was one of Keisei's most searched artifacts…

Soul Edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that last bit there with Jin... this was written before Harada confirmed that Jin chose to be celibate.
> 
> So... whoops! >_>


	52. Chapter Fifty-One

**_The Next Morning._ **

**Main Palace**

After having a quiet breakfast alone, Kitana began to leave the dining quarters, intending on heading back to her room. Her mind was clear from any thoughts as she walked passed the people around her, most of them chatting amongst themselves. However, she did feel her fatigue as her eyelids felt a bit heavy to her.

 _I definitely didn't get good sleep last night,_ Kitana thought as she tried to remember exactly what time it was before she had finally fallen asleep overnight.

Once she thought those words, her mind began to slightly drift off. She was beginning to have the thought of perhaps trying to sleep again once she was back in her room. That was when she bumped into someone almost head on, letting out a small 'oomph' as did the person she bumped into.

"Um, sorry…" Kitana managed to utter. She was beginning to go around the person, not even bothering to look up to see who she was ran into.

"Kitana?" a deep male voice said.

Kitana's eyes widened a bit as she instantly recognized the voice. She turned her head up to the voice. The Princess felt her heart skip a beat upon laying her eyes on Siegfried, who stared at her with what looked liked a bit of concern.

"Si…Siegfried," Kitana managed to say. She then briefly looked around to make sure neither Jade nor Sindel were around. She then tugged on to Siegfried's left arm before leading him outside the main palace, not stopping until they reached the closest statue on the palace grounds.

"Is everything all right?" Siegfried asked her. It was a bit awkward for him at this moment… only twenty-four hours ago, Sindel had told him that they had to cut contact due to personal reasons. Now here he was exactly a day later standing in front of the Princess he was not supposed to be talking to.

Kitana sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. With all that's been happening, my mother doesn't want the three of us to be in contact with…anyone. To be honest, I wouldn't mind…but not with you…I don't know why…" By then, she had looked up at Siegfried and saw the dark circles around his eyes, something that wasn't there the last time she saw him. "…Are you okay?"

The blonde man sighed a bit. "Yeah… um, I kind of had a… rough night."

Kitana nodded a little. "I know that feeling." Another sigh escaped her throat. "I guess I just want this ordeal to end."

"I understand," Siegfried said. "But there is one thing I need to know. Your mother wasn't very specific as to why she wanted us to cut contact all of a sudden."

"It's… for our protection and… for everyone else's," was Kitana's reply.

A paused lingered between them for a moment, the only sound around them were the footsteps and soft chatter from the people. Neither one of them were sure how long the silence lasted before Siegfried spoke.

"Do you want to go for a walk for a bit?" he asked. Kitana looked up and seemed to stare at him a bit. He knew what she was thinking and, after waking up to what was similar to a hangover, knew the right thing to say. "I promise I won't run off this time."

A smirk appeared on Kitana's lips. "All right. But only for a little a while. I don't want Jade and my mother to realize that I've been missing for quite some time."

Siegfried nodded in agreement. "Two hours?"

"Perhaps."

From there, the two of them began walking further away from the palace. Unknown to either of them, however, Jade happened to witness their meeting. Hiding behind one of the large plants, she watched their gestures as she couldn't hear their conversation. Jade had hoped that Kitana would eventually walk away. Instead, they both began walking away from the palace together, much to Jade's dismay. She had guessed that they were going to go for a walk.

 _I just hope it won't be in the forest,_ she thought.

Worried about the safety of her best friend, Jade began heading back into the palace, intending on warning Sindel about the situation.

**Dungeons, Shao Kahn's Fortress**

After what felt more like a short nap than a long sleep, Raven slowly opened his eyes. As he did, the first thing he noticed was the sound of dripping water somewhere nearby. When his vision adjusted, he was able to slightly make out the stoned ceiling above him.

That was when he remembered…he was trapped here in the Outworld Emperor's dungeons. How long he was in here… he couldn't tell.

Slowly, the agent tried to get up, but just as soon found himself gritting his teeth upon feeling the sheer pain running up and down his weakened body. He was feeling the effects of the beatings he received overnight. He could also feeling the dry feeling at the back of his throat, a sign that he hadn't drank anything in a while.

Despite the pain, Raven managed to sit himself up, leaning his back against the wall just next to the door of his cell. He sighed a bit before speaking up a name…

"Nina?" his raspy voice called out.

Raven hadn't expected to hear anything, but after about a minute, he heard Nina Williams speak from her cell. "You're… still alive," she said. Raven was able to tell that she was trying to be stubborn. However, he was able to hear the tiredness in her voice as well.

"Some would say… they'd rather be dead right now," Raven said, not even sure himself whether he meant it for himself or not.

He heard a small sigh from Nina. Obviously, because he was able to hear that, her cell was close to his.

After another minute of silence, Nina spoke again. "I wonder… is all of this… worth it?" she asked in between long breaths. "I mean… for one thing… we're supposed to be considered… chosen ones… so why hide?"

An answer came to Raven. "We're hiding because when the right time comes… no one would suspect our plan."

"Yeah… now I remember…" Nina muttered. "You know… it's too bad… we told Raiden and Rose… that we wouldn't be back for… a few days… so basically… no one knows… we're here."

"I'm aware of that," Raven reminded her. He then decided to give her some sort of encouragement. "The best we can do… is hold on as long as possible. Soon, we'll try to find… a way to get out of here alive."

Once again, silence fell between the two of them. This time, it last for two minutes. During that time, Raven found himself moving a bit, eventually lying on his side. A bit of relief came over him, realizing that he was better off lying down.

Soon, Nina spoke again. "For once in my life… I hope so…"

Then, the silence lasted for hours after those words…

~~~

**Cave**

"Is it me or is it messier in here than normal?" Rose muttered to herself as she picked up a blue staff from the floor before placing it against the wall with the other weapons. Being bored at the moment, Rose decided to kill some time by straightening out the lounge room.

As she did, she thought about the fact that Round Six of the tournament started today. _Felt like only yesterday when Round One began_ _,_ she thought to herself.

Rose continued with straightened everything out when a familiar voice suddenly spoke. "Spring cleaning?"

The purple-haired psychic straightened herself out before finding herself looking at a certain Thunder God. "I suppose you could call it that," she answered.

Raiden chuckled as he walked further into the room. "Killing time I suppose?"

Rose nodded. "Well everyone else is out doing their own thing right now so I thought I'd take care of this while it was quiet."

"I took care of something of my own as well," Raiden said as he sat down in one of the chairs in the room. "I actually did a mug count today."

Rose stopped what she was doing and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yeah really," Raiden replied. "Try to guess how many mugs we have left in this cave?"

For a moment, Rose slightly looked up as though she was thinking. "Umm… I don't know… twenty?"

"Six."

The woman's eyes widened in a bit of surprise. "Only six?! You've got to be kidding me!"

"I was just as surprised as you," Raiden replied. "The complaints really increased so I counted today… so we only have one minor problem really." He then eyed her. "I will say one thing, however… YOU are one _angry_ woman."

Rose placed her hands on her hips as she got the idea of why he said that to her. "Hey… I'm not THAT angry. And honestly, have I thrown _that_ many mugs at you?"

"…Yes."

A sigh escaped her lips as she placed her hands down. "They're only mugs anyway. You need to be calm about it… why don't you get yourself some Outworld liquor."

"NOW she says it!" Raiden called out throwing his hands up.

"What's the matter?" Rose asked curiously.

"Well by now, the whole Outworld liquor deal has gotten old." Raiden then lifted a single finger. "First of all, at this point of the tournament, it's best to keep everyone, including you and I, away from alcohol."

"Which is what I've been trying to tell you from the start," Rose reminded him.

Raiden ignored her as he lifted up a second finger from the same hand. "And secondly, I just got sick and tired of everyone tossing the liquor bottles in the campfire."

"That only happened twice!"

"Yes, but they say third time's a charm and I don't think we can afford the risk," Raiden said as he stood up.

"Oh fine then," Rose finally said. "I'll have our little mug matter taken care of later tonight."

"Good. I was hoping you would say that." Then, Raiden turned on his heel and began heading over to the exit. As he touched the curtain, he turned back to Rose with a grin. "You know… that was a very interesting conversation."

Without thinking, Rose smiled back. "Yes… it was."

Silence fell between the two then. Soon, they realized that they were both staring at each other for too long. With the both of them quickly turning away, Rose continued with cleaning the lounge as Raiden took his leave.

~~~

**Beach Area**

"So," said Asuka as she and Sakura began sitting down on the ground in front of the large body of water. "We're finally at Round Six now."

"And it starts today," Sakura reminded her. "I hear that they only have eight contestants left altogether."

Asuka sighed a little as a small frown appeared over her lips. "Including my opponent Sheeva… damn, as soon as I saw her enter the ring during my match, I knew that it was all over. I really hope that someone knocks her one, even if it's not for me."

"Don't be bummed," Sakura said. "You did the best you could. And you know… you made it pretty far, spanning more than half the time the tournament's been going."

"Speaking of time," Asuka cut in. "Though it's really hard to believe, we actually only have eight days left of the tournament itself."

"So that would mean that we'll go home some time after that… depending on the situation in the aftermath." Sakura then sighed. "Time sure has gone fast."

"Feels much slower to me," Asuka said.

The two young women fell silent then, eventually finding themselves staring out at the water in front of them. The water itself was quite calm at the moment with the surface slowly sparkling like glitter from the early afternoon sun's rays.

Neither one of them were sure how long the silence lasted before Sakura's dark eyes lightened up as a thought came to her. "You know what I find funny?"

"What's that?" Asuka asked as she looked up at the lavender sky above.

Sakura found herself chuckling a little. "It's silly really… but I didn't really think about it until just now. Have you noticed that you and Jin have the same last name?"

"I noticed the first time I heard his full name," Asuka said.

"Do you think you two could be related somehow?" Sakura questioned curiously.

"Honestly, I really think it's coincidence," Asuka answered. “If anything, we probably have a common ancestor somewhere in the family tree.” She turned her head and eyed Sakura. "You definitely have quite an interest in him, don't you?"

As Asuka spoke, Sakura leaned forward a bit before picking a small red flower from the ground. She stared at the flower for a moment, noting the six petals that were on it. The young woman then began slowly picking the pedals and found herself chanting slowly in her mind… _Ryu… Jin… Ryu… Jin…_

Sakura then stopped for a moment as she realized what she was thinking. _Ryu?_ she thought. _Damn… even after trying, I still can't get over him._

Asuka watched as her friend picked the flower until she picked off the last pedal. Sakura sighed a bit.

_Jin_ _._

"Oh what's the use!" Sakura said as she tossed the pedals and stem in the air. "I admit with shame that I took too long in saying anything to him. Now he's with Cammy."

"Well, the bright side is, there are plenty of more fishes in the sea," Asuka reminded her.

Sakura looked up at the sky. "Yeah… perhaps."

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress, Sleeping Quarters**

"So how long have you been serving Shao Kahn?" asked Anna Williams before slowly sipping a cup of tea into her mouth.

Sitting in front of her at a small table, Ivy Valentine also took a sip from her cup of tea before placing it down on it's base. "Ever since before the tournament began," she replied. "What brought you here?"

"Shang Tsung," Anna answered. "He made me an offer just after the first round of the tournament. I can safely say now that he kept his promise and I'll continue to serve the Emperor."

"That's good to hear," Ivy said.

Anna sipped her remaining tea from her cup before placing it down. Only a half hour ago while off duty, she ran into Ivy in the hallway of the sleeping quarters. Ivy too was off duty. The two talked about their future assignments since they were partially working together. Eventually at some point, the two women found themselves in Ivy's room sitting at her small table drinking tea. Anna herself wasn't much of a tea person, but this particular tea was made here in Outworld, and she figured that she might as well try it just for the experience.

"Other than that, I've been having my fun," Anna said. "I admit that my time with my round two opponent Yun is quite fun if I say so myself." A smile came over her face. "However, I have even more fun lusting after Vega."

"The bodyguard with the long hair?" Ivy questioned. "He's all yours, dear. He's not really my… cup of tea."

Anna then decided to change the subject slightly. "Don't mind me asking… but I've come to notice that the Emperor calls you down to his throne room a lot, at least ever since I came here. Why is that?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure," Ivy said, unsure of how to really answer that question. "It's a wild guess to me, really."

Before Anna continued with the discussion, the door to the room suddenly opened. The two women looked at the open door and saw Tanya walking in. Within her hands, she had a silver platter with a new teapot on top of it.

Ivy smirked. "Well it's about time," she said. "I was beginning to wonder when the next pot will come in."

"Same here," Anna said. She then extended her arm out with her empty cup in her hand. "Could you pour me some tea?"

Tanya grumbled underneath her breath, but knew that she would receive more lip if she didn't obey, especially with Ivy a foot away. She placed the platter on an empty spot on the table before taking the pot in her hand and poured some tea into the content.

Anna smiled afterward. "Thank you," she said.

Ivy then looked up at Tanya. "You look quite tired dear. Would you like to join us?"

It was an offer Tanya wouldn't mind saying yes to… but not with Anna around. "No thanks," she said while trying to be humble.

"All right," Ivy said. "In that case, you have the rest of the day off."

As Tanya turned around and began heading back to the door, Anna spoke. "You know what really bothers me about this world? It's the fact that some people actually don't have colored eyes." She followed with a hearty laugh, indicating that she was joking. Though the comment was a bit childish, Ivy couldn't help but smirk with amusement, especially considering that Tanya, who has transparent eyes, was only a few feet away from them.

Unknown to either of them, Tanya clenched her teeth with anger as she suppressed the urge to clench her fists as well. _I think I'll kill Anna while I'm at it as well_ _!_ she declared in thought.

~~~

**Beach Area Near Main Palace**

"Thanks for walking with me," said Kitana as she and Siegfried passed by the beach line. As they walked, they began to slowly head back towards the palace. Though the palace itself was in view, they still had about a twenty-minute walk before their reached the palace grounds.

"You're welcome," replied Siegfried. He ended up looking up at the sky, sighing at bit in the process. "I definitely needed the fresh air."

"Same here," Kitana agreed. "I didn't really get to go outside yesterday so it's nice to be able to get the chance to get out."

The two fell silent as they continued walking. As they did, Kitana briefly let herself listen to the sound of the wind as it slightly began to pick up, causing the leaves of the tree to sway.

Unknown to her, a frown slightly appeared on her face. Siegfried had noticed this when he turned to her. "How is… your situation now?" he asked.

Kitana blinked a couple of times, almost forgetting what he was talking about. Once she remembered, she stopped in her tracks, as did he, before facing him.

"I'm… not sure," she replied feeling a bit weary suddenly. She then decided to make a small confession… one that wasn't exactly related as to why her mother wanted her to not see him again, but it would seem close in Siegfried's eyes.

"Well," she began to say. "We have been having a bit of a problem since we got here."

Siegfried stared at her as he listened in for what she had to say.

"Let's just say that Jade, my mother, and I were once… Outworld residents. Our world of Edenia was once merged with Outworld many years ago, but of course we've since been freed. Shao Kahn, the current Emperor of this world…. he knows we're here. A couple of times, as you know from a previous incident, we've been ambushed. The three of us know that we can take care of ourselves… but for how long, I sometimes wonder."

Siegfried had begun to open his mouth to reply, but as he did, Kitana had turned her head to another direction, followed by a soft gasp. He turned around to see what she had seen. In a short distance, he saw a glimpse of both Jade and Sindel heading over near their direction.

Quickly, Kitana grabbed Siegfried's hand and pulled him further into the group of trees that were near them so that they weren't seen. Once they were behind the trees, the Princess spoke. "I'm sorry-"

"I understand," Siegfried quickly cut in. "I'll take my leave before they see us."

Before he could even move, Kitana placed her hands over his cheeks and, to his surprise, leaned in to kiss him. The kiss lasted no more than two seconds, but even then, time seemed to slow a bit. Siegfried never closed his eyes as she had, but he was able to briefly return the kiss before she pulled away. For a moment, he stared at her, until he heard the footsteps from Jade and Sindel got closer. Having no other choice, he took his leave, going in another direction.

As he completely disappeared, Jade and Sindel appeared. They seemed to look around for a bit before Sindel spotted her daughter standing a couple of yards away. "There you are!" she called out as she ran over to her with Jade following.

"Where have you been?" Jade asked her friend.

Kitana sighed a bit before answering. "I'm sorry I didn't inform you right away. I decided to go for a walk at the last minute."

Sindel eyed her. "You didn't happened to be going walking with a certain Keisei knight, were you?"

The Princess swallowed. "What do you mean-"

"Don't deny it," Sindel said. "I _know_ you were with Siegfried."

For a second, Kitana was trying to figure out a way to continue her denial, but figured by the seriousness in her mother's voice that it wouldn't be worth it. Then she tried to understand how in the world Sindel figured out why she went out for a walk.

That answer came quickly upon looking at her green-clad friend. The nervous look in Jade's eyes and the fact that she was trying to avoid eye contact with her gave the hint.

It took a moment for Jade to notice the shocked look in the Princess's eyes as well and figured that Kitana figured out who gave Sindel the tip. "I'm sorry Princess… we thought that your life was in peril."

Sindel frowned a bit. "Tell me this at least… why did you disobey me?"

Before Kitana could answer, Jade suddenly lashed out her staff from behind her. Sindel and Kitana looked at her with surprise and they watched as Jade jabbed the staff in between them… knocking back an incoming tarkatan.

Immediately, Kitana took out her two fan blades and Sindel, cursing herself for leaving her Kwan Do back at the palace, placed herself in a fighting stance. Even with the handful of tarkatans, all with their blades out, surrounding them, the three Edenians remained calm.

"Seems that Shao Kahn made plans for us today," Jade said.

"You're telling me," Kitana agreed.

"Well hopefully," began Sindel. "This matter will be taken care of quickly."

With that, the tarkatans jumped forward after them and the three Edenians prepared to defend themselves once again.

~~~

**Forest Area**

"This is nice," said Yang as he placed a blanket down on the ground. "How did you find this place?"

As he sat down on the ground, Maki placed down a dark blue carry-on bag that belonged to her before sitting down. "When we first came here," she said as she unzipped the bag. "The girls and I were exploring this area and we found this place. We got a bit of a nice scare after hearing about the 'living tree' incident and only came in the forest when we needed to."

Yang nodded as he looked out at the clear lake a few feet in front of them, briefly admiring the luscious green and purple plants that surrounded the body of water. "And I assume you just decided to bring me here and have a picnic?"

Maki smiled as she took out two sandwiches, both wrapped in plastic bags. "Yup."

Yang smiled at her as he took one of the sandwiches in his hands before opening the plastic. "Well, this was definitely a good idea. As much as I like having lunch at the cave grounds and the palace dining quarters, I do like to go to different places once in a while."

"Same here," Maki agreed. After opening up the plastic, she took a bite of her sandwich. After swallowing the contents, she spoke again. "Can you believe that the tournament is really close to ending?"

Yang swallowed his food before replying. "I always had a feeling that it was going to go quick. I know Yin's happy about it. She doesn't mind visiting, but she's starting to miss her friends, our family, her way of cooking… and a window in her room."

Maki chuckled. "I know that feeling. And after being here for over a month, it might take a couple of days for me to adjust to a blue sky again."

"I think so too," Yang agreed with a nod.

After taking another bite, Maki placed the sandwich down on the plastic bag to get a bottle of water from the bag. "Well…there's really only one reason why I don't want the tournament to end so soon."

"Why is that?" Yang asked.

Maki took out the bottled water and opened the cap. "Well," she began, taking a quick sip before continuing. "It's the fact that I'll be returning to Japan… and you'll be returning to Hong Kong…"

"I know," Yang said as he looked at her. "But don't forget about our plans once we return to Earth. We'll visit each other for a week every month until we decide what we want to do whether that's you moving to Hong Kong or me moving to Japan."

"That's true," Maki said with a small sigh. "Long distant relationships can be a pain, but it's worth it if we try."

Yang nodded as he took her hand into his own. "I'm sure that it'll work out."

"I'm sure of it too."

Yang sighed a little. "I'll admit though… I have one reason to get out of here. I'm kind of sick of Yun running off with that Anna girl he met during the second round."

"How many times has he done that?"

"Three times," Yang replied. "But only twice was he gone for hours on end."

"Well hopefully it's an Outworld thing," Maki assured him. "I'm sure that once we all leave here, he'll be over it."

Yang squeezed her hand a bit before pulling his away. "I hope so too."

For another hour, the two continued with their conversation and picnic while enjoying the view in front of them.

~~~

**Courtyard**

Sitting at his throne, Shang Tsung looked over at the match that was taking place in front of him. Having just sat down after calling for the match to begin, Shang Tsung had the feeling that the match wasn't going to last very long. That was because the match was between the Shokan Sheeva and one of the new Outworld Forces recruits, Viper.

Briefly, the sorcerer looked on at Sheeva who maneuvered herself from one of Viper's attacks. Last night, an overnight brawl was held. Since there were more tournament participants than they were expecting and the fact that Shao Kahn wanted to keep the number of rounds at eight, many of the remaining fighters were brought to the Underground Lair with only the knowledge of a night brawl.

Not everyone was invited to the brawl of course. Seven fighters… Viper, Jin Kazama, Sektor, Kenshi, Ivy Valentine, Siegfried Schtauffen, and another fighter whose name he couldn't recall…were left out of the brawl for the purpose that if the things worked out according to plan, they could at least finish off the tournament with these fighters.

The seven that were left out were chosen by the fact that they were believed to be the strongest fighters.

Of course, Sheeva was also automatically in the next round… that was unless one of the brawl participants was strong enough to take her on. The purpose was that all chosen participants get to fight Sheeva. If they lose, they don't move on to the tournament. If they did, they can move on.

As he, Shao Kahn, and his minions had hoped, not one chosen brawler was able to take on Sheeva. Therefore, they were able to not only keep her in the tournament, but also keep in track of their original plans.

 _Sheeva has definitely proven herself,_ the sorcerer thought.

He then looked over at Viper, who had avoided a stomp attack from Sheeva. Though he knew that Sheeva's win was inevitable, he was impressed by the fact that Viper was able to hold her own in what may be her most challenging fight. He noted the stern look in her blue eyes as she kept her concentration on the battle.

Shang Tsung knew that this young woman was under some spell-like influence and was assured that she was well under control. It was almost like the women of his harem back at his palace, only she didn't need a jeweled collar to be controlled… and she was a better fighter.

 _Perhaps I could ask Vega how he keeps her in his control,_ he thought sadistically.

The fight between Sheeva and Viper continued, but not much longer after the sorcerer's thoughts. At one point, Viper jumped up to try to grab Sheeva's neck with her legs. However, the female Shokan managed to grab one of her ankles before slamming her down on the ground on her back. After letting her go, Shang Tsung realized that the impact against the ground had rendered Viper unconscious.

As he normally did since the first round, the sorcerer stood up his feet and looked at the first winning participant moving on to Round seven. "Winner: Sheeva!"

 _One match down, three to go,_ he thought.

~~~

**Near Beach Area**

Steel, punches, and kicks collided as Kitana, Jade, and Sindel continued fighting off the Tarkatans who were attacking them. None of the three were quite sure how long the fight was lasting. All they knew was that at this point, they had taken down half the group.

Eventually however, the three of them began to slightly grow tired from the constant self defense, giving the tarkatans their opportunity. Eventually, all three women were knocked down to the ground. Though they tried to get themselves back on their feet, the tarkatans maneuvered themselves closer to them, raising their blades to their neck so that they no longer had the chance to get up.

Kitana, Jade, and Sindel glanced at each other, expressing worry in their eyes. "What do we do?" Kitana asked as she looked at her mother, deciding to let her be the one to make whatever call she had to made.

The Queen of Edenia let out a slightly shaky sigh. "I don't know…but then I don't want to-"

"Give it up!" one of the tarkatans called out. "There's no running off now. Surrender now."

Sindel tried to think of a way to get out of this situation. There only seemed to be two choices at this point. It was either surrender with the possibility to once again serve the black-hearted Emperor… or resist and die.

All hope of any sort of survival seemed lost.

Before the Queen could come to a final decision, however, a suddenly purple light began to surround the group. The light was bright enough to force Sindel, Kitana, and Jade to shield their eyes. The tarkatans were confused as well… at first. That was until the light hit them, casting a shadow over each one. All the tarkatans seemed to cry out in agony for a moment. Then, the voices seemed to dim as the light disintegrated their bodies to nothing.

Soon, the light disappeared, giving the Edenians a chance to open their eyes. Confusion was written on their faces as first until, at the same time, they spotted a woman with purple hair coming over to them.

Only five minutes ago in the cave, Rose got a quick vision of these three women fighting the tarkatans. Not looking more into this prediction, Rose quickly left the cave to attend to the situation, killing the tarkatans and saving the Edenians' lives.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked them as she reached them.

The three managed to stand up. "We're okay," Sindel replied. "Thank you for saving us."

"You're welcome," Rose replied. She then sensed it… their pure hearts and souls…

 _Potential chosen ones,_ Rose thought. _But why haven't I seen these three women before_ _._ Despite the thought, she made the decision to take them back to the cave as she had a good feeling about them.

"Come with me," Rose suggested. "I can't explain it at the moment, but when we get to my location, I'll explain everything."

"Is something wrong?" Kitana asked.

Rose was silent for a moment before replying. "In a way, yes. Follow me."

The soul psychic began walking then. The three other women were a bit reluctant at first, but then Jade began walking forward. Feeling a little confident now, Kitana and Sindel began to follow as well.


	53. Chapter Fifty-Two

**_Later That Evening_ **

**Cave**

Sitting in the lounge at the small table, Rose explained everything to the Edenian royals about the situation she and the other chosen ones were in. With hot drinks in front of them, Kitana, Sindel, and Jade listened in with interest.

"So basically," Rose began to conclude. "Our goal here is to make sure that the medallion falls into the right hands."

"Indeed," Sindel agreed after taking a sip of her drink. "Who knows what the Emperor might do with such power."

"That's what we fear," Rose said. "With only two of our chosen ones left in the tournament, we may have to begin a plan B. What that will be, I'm not sure of just yet."

From there, the three Edenians began to tell their story… how they were involved with Shao Kahn years ago, their constant wars in Edenia, and their current situation as they attend The Blood Tournament.

"That sounds alarming," Rose replied after they were finished with their story. "May I ask one question, and you don't have to answer… say that one of you were able to win the medallion in the tournament. What did you plan to do with it?"

"We had hoped that we would use it to finally bring everlasting peace to Edenia," Kitana answered.

Rose smiled. "The medallion is indeed deserving to be in your hands." Then her smile faded. "I would like the three of you to join us here. When I first saw you, I sensed your pure hearts and souls, which is all you need to be one of our chosen ones. I will personally seek out your belongs tonight so you can get yourselves settled here. I also ask for you to stay here for your safety from further attacks from the tarkatans and Shao Kahn's minions."

"Thank you kindly," said Jade. "We appreciate your hospitality and we'll be honored to help you in your cause."

"One thing I must ask," began Sindel. "You mentioned ' _our_ chosen ones.'"

"Ah yes," Rose said. "I am not the only one leading the group. The Thunder God Raiden is leading as well."

The three women's eyes were suddenly big as saucers and Jade nearly choked on her drink. "RAIDEN?!" they all called out.

Rose looked at them in confusion. "Yes… you know him?"

That's when the curtain to the room opened and Raiden stepped in carrying a bag of food. "Did someone call me?"

Then he noticed the three Edenians standing up from their chairs and staring up at him. A surprised look appeared on his face as he did not expect the three to even be here in the first place. "Um… hello ladies," he said a bit nervously.

That's when Sindel stepped forward. "Hello Raiden," she said before raising a hand and slapping him hard across the face. Raiden dropped his bag in surprise upon being slapped.

Rose looked up at the two with amusement. "About time someone did that!" she called out.

Ignoring her, Raiden raised his own hand to rub the pain away from his cheek before looking at Sindel. "May I ask why you did such a thing?"

Sindel placed her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you inform us of any of this?! We could've helped this whole time you know!"

Raiden stared at the Queen. "First of all, I didn't even know you three were even here. Just because I'm a God doesn't mean I know everything! Second of all, I'm NOT the Protector of Edenia! That's Argus' job!"

Sindel sighed a bit as she understood. "In that case, I apologize for hitting you."

"No no," Rose cut in. "I give you permission to hit him anytime you want."

Raiden glared at Rose as Sindel continued. "Well… thank you kindly… I think."

Kitana spoke up then as a thought came to her. "I need to ask you something… you see… I know this young man named Siegfried-"

"Schtauffen?" Rose cut in.

Kitana looked at her. "How did you know?"

"She's a psychic," Raiden mentioned. "Though she's actually more of a psy-"

"I've seen him fight in the tournament," Rose quickly said before Raiden finished. "There is good in him… but there's another side of him. Something darker, something that he seems to be trying to fight perhaps. Out of precaution, he can't be here."

"…I see," was all Kitana said.

"Now," Sindel said. "Shall we settle in?"

"I'll show you to your rooms," Raiden offered.

"Thank you Raiden," replied Kitana.

With that, Raiden left the room with Sindel, Kitana, and Jade following him.

~~~

**Palace Grounds**

"Tell me again," said Cassandra. "…how did I get involved in this?"

"You were just in the room and Rose asked you to help us," replied Ken.

"Shh! Could you two try to keep it down?" whispered Yun.

"Try not to trip this time," said Cody. "Last time I was behind you and you almost tripped and I almost crashed into you."

"This is Rose's fault anyway," said Yun. "If she hadn't thrown all those mugs, we wouldn't be trying to sneak these mugs out of the dining quarters."

"Will you both be quiet," Cassandra demanded quietly.

"Yes ma'am," the two replied.

Quietly, the four of them tip toed out the door of the main palace without being seen carrying countless mugs in their arms. Since it was nearly late at night, barely anyone was outside at this time, much to their relief since they were told not to get caught.

"Phew, we made it," said Ken. "And no one has seen us."

"Don't jinx it now," Yun suggested. "We still have another twenty minute walk back to the cave."

"True," said Cody. "But we do have a five minute walk to the forest. Once we're in the forest, we're in the clear and we don't have to worry about getting caught."

"…I still can't believe you forgot the bag to carry these mugs in," mentioned Cassandra.

Yun looked at the young woman. "You complain a lot."

Cassandra's mouth dropped opened in reply. "I don't complain a lot!"

"Shhh!" Cody hushed. "Be quiet. Let's get going before we-"

"Who's out there?!" someone suddenly called out from inside the palace.

Because the voice called out unexpectedly, all four of them were so startled that they ended up dropping all the mugs. All the mugs crashed on the floor into countless pieces and leaving behind an ear-piercing shatter. Once the four realized what they did, they all looked down at the broken mugs in horror.

"Oh… crap…" said Yun.

"What do we do now?" asked Cassandra who was a bit shaken.

That's when they heard running footsteps from within the palace. Ken gulped. "There is one thing we can do… RUN!"

"What about the mugs?!" cried out Yun.

"Forget about the mugs!" called out Cody. "I'd be more worried about my life right now!"

"Show yourselves!" another voice called out.

"I'm out of here!" Cassandra cried out as she began running.

"Me too!" Cody, Yun, and Ken cried out as they began following her just as the guards inside got outside.

"Come back here!" one guard cried out as they began chasing them.

"OH CRAP!" Cody shrieked as he realized they were being followed.

"That's the last time I do anything for that crazy woman!" screamed Yun.

Having no other choice, the four took a turn away from the path to the cave in hopes of somehow losing the guards on the way.

~~~

**Back At the Cave**

Reaching one of the curtains, Lei Wulong quietly peaked over one of the edges of the fabric. Even though the gap between the curtain and the cave walls were a couple of inches apart, Lei was still able to look through the opening.

Quietly, Lei looked into the room behind the curtain, smiling to himself upon seeing Chun Li inside. She was sitting on her bed looking through some paperwork. He also noted the outfit she was wearing… a pair of long navy blue jeans, a yellow spaghetti-strapped tank top, and her hair done in her usual ox horns hairstyle held up by yellow ribbons. Lei also noted that she was barefoot as well.

After watching her for another minute, Lei decided to walk himself in. "Even in another world, you're a workaholic."

Chun Li immediately looked up from her paperwork, seeing Lei walking over to her. "It's fine really… we finally get them done, yet Guile wants me to overview my part of the report before we can really call our work 'complete.'"

Lei laughed a little. "Well Wagner did warn us since day one… Guile's a bit OCD with double checking anything."

"There's nothing wrong with double checking," Chun Li said. "But to be honest, I think we've done it more than once." She smiled. "And the good news is that you came in just in time. I just finished looking over everything."

Lei sat next to her on the bed. "Are you just saying that just to find an excuse to get away from the paperwork?"

Chun Li chuckled a little. "Not at all. I'm being truthful."

"Good," Lei replied smiling.

A thought came to Chun Li and she sighed a bit. "Do you think we'll ever find out anything at all in this 'mission?' I mean, considering that we'll be here for another… eight days."

"Ah so we do have a little over a week left before we go home," Lei said before answering her question. "To be honest, I'm not one-hundred percent sure. Even if we get a small amount of information to bring home in the aftermath, I'm sure that'll be okay." He then placed his hands on the young woman's shoulders. "Tell you what… why don't we forget about all this for a little while. Last I looked, no one was sitting at the campfire. Let's sit over there for a while."

Chun Li smirked as she placed a hand over one of his. "Sounds nice. Let me get my jacket and I'll meet you over there."

"Sounds good to me. I'll set the fire up in the meantime." With that, Lei left a kiss on the side of Chun Li's head before getting up to leave the room. Chun Li watched him go until he disappeared behind the curtain.

~~~

**Beach Area**

With his eyes closed, Dan Hibiki performed a slow kata. He kept his mind in full focus, taking in deep breaths and, at some point, letting himself feel the soft wind against his face.

Nearby, Nightwolf sat under a tree, his eyes also closed as he meditated. His mind was also clear, free from any thoughts as he kept his focus on his own energy.

Time passed as Dan slowly maneuvered himself around and Nightwolf unmoving from where he sat. Eventually though, Dan slowly stood himself straight, resting both of his arms on either side of him before opening his eyes, the view of the beach water in front of him.

A minute later, Nightwolf opened his eyes as well and noticed Dan walking over to him. "Have you finished your kata training?" the shaman asked him.

Dan sat in front of his master. "Yes Nightwolf. I just completed my kata for the day."

"Very good," Nightwolf said. "You have done well since you began your training. I believe that once you test yourself in combat, you will become a much better warrior. With that in mind, you are almost complete with your mental training."

"Already?" Dan said feeling a bit disappointed. "Time does definitely seem to go fast."

"It does indeed," Nightwolf agreed. "But even when your training is declared complete, you should never stop. Through continued practices, you will learn new things you never thought you would learn, and your skills will still continue to improve. Within a few days, your training with me will be completed when you take your final test."

"And what will happen in this final test?" Dan asked.

"That information I will withhold until that day," Nightwolf replied. "Until then, I want you to stay focus on all that you have learned up to this point. On the day of your final test, you will know."

Dan placed a hand on his fist before bowing his head to the shaman. "I don't know how to thank you, Nightwolf. When I came here, people viewed me as nothing more than a goofball. I hope that, with my new training, I will prove them wrong."

"It is possible that people will see a change in you," Nightwolf said. "But before you can prove to anyone that you are a good fighter, you must prove your skills to yourself first. Only then will you leave a good impression on others. Now, let us meditate and reflect on today's training."

Dan nodded as he straightened his back and placing his hands on his knees before closing his eyes. Before he began his meditation, he briefly thought about what his final test could be. Whatever it was, he hoped to pass it.

~~~

**Cave**

In the halls of the cave, all was quiet as Kilik replaced some of the burnt out oil candles with fresh ones. It was a chore that Raiden had asked him to do… most likely because he was the first person the Thunder God saw when he realized the candles had to be replaced.

Kilik didn't mind doing the small task. The only real pain about changing the candles was trying to avoid getting his fingers burnt by the hot wax.

 _We're better off just letting them cool off overnight and clean the bases before replacing them,_ Kilik thought with a small sigh.

As the young man continued replacing the candles, he noticed a shadow overcasting just next to him as he lit up a candle. Curiosity got to him as he turned around to see who was coming… only to be surprised by the sight of his new friend Jade.

"Hello Kilik," Jade said upon noticing him.

"Um, hi Jade," Kilik replied after swallowing. "How did you find your way here?"

"Well it turns out Kitana, Sindel, and I are chosen ones as well," the green-clad woman answered.

Kilik rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… now you know why I ran off the way I did the day I found Paul in the forest. I apologize for that."

"That's quite all right," Jade said. "I figured you were hiding out somewhere that was a secret… considering that I never saw you around the palace."

"Yeah," Kilik sighed.

A smile came over Jade's face. "You know what this means? This means that we can finally have that training session we keep promising about without one of us having some sort of interference."

Kilik smiled a bit nervously. "We are definitely a bit overdue for that aren't we?"

Jade nodded. "Shall we 'dance' tomorrow?"

Kilik couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Sure, sounds great. I don't think I'm doing anything tomorrow."

"Good," Jade said. "Meet me just outside the cave at one o'clock. See you then." With that, she took her leave down the hall. Kilik watched her go until she entered what he believed was her room. Afterward, he continued with changing the candles.

~~~

**In Another Part of the Cave**

Lying in bed on his back, Wagner looked up at the ceiling above him. One hand rested behind his head and the other over his stomach. Though he was already in his pajamas (consisting of a black muscle shirt that was a couple of sizes too big and black and white flannel pants), he wasn't tired enough to go to bed just yet. At least in the area he was in, all was quiet aside from the occasional footsteps that would pass his room from people passing by.

 _Is it me or was today boring?_ he thought to himself at one point.

A sudden breeze came through the edges of the closed curtains making the room cooler than normal. Wagner took a moment to use his feet to kick up a dark green cotton blanket over to him before unfolding it with his hands and laying the fabric from his feet to the middle of his torso. Afterward, he placed his hands back in their original positions.

 _At this point, I could fall asleep in his position now that I have the blanket on me,_ the young man thought again.

As he continued looking up at the ceiling, thoughts played in his head, mainly of his childhood. Those memories before the day Shadaloo destroyed his life seemed as though they were from a distant time to him… but what really mattered what those good days when his parents were alive and his sister was living under her own free will.

For the first eleven years of his life, he lived in Brockport, California, a small town located along the coast just south of the city of Monterrey. Other than that, he couldn't remember too much about the neighborhood, not even the house that he once lived in. Perhaps it was mainly because it's been nearly a decade since he was last in that town.

His mother was a stay-at-home mom who took care of him and Lisa, who was three years older than him. His father was a scientist and lecturer who previously worked in a chemistry lab before being transferred to another facility that would pay his father greatly for his experiments. Being with the new facility required his father to travel out of the country for a long period of time before returning for a week or two before once again traveling.

To this day, Wagner wondered if his father ever knew that he was working for a criminal organization. Was he aware of all the horrible experiments that were being done in the organization?

Was he involved in any of those experiments?

Wagner knew that those questions would never be answered. However, what mattered now was finding Lisa and freeing her. How he was going to do that, he wasn't sure. However, the main thing was finding her first.

Since arriving in Outworld for the tournament, Wagner wondered if Lisa would be here, perhaps accompanying a former member of Shadaloo. However, with only a little over a week left of his stay here, he was beginning to highly doubt it.

His thoughts were soon interrupted suddenly as a female voice broke in. "Wagner? Are you in here?"

Wagner stood up as he recognized the voice. "Yeah Sonya. Come on in."

The curtain to his room was slightly pushed aside as Sonya stepped into the room. Wearing a green tank top and black sweatpants, Wagner figured that Sonya was pretty much getting ready for bed.

"I was getting a drink in the lounge and I found this watch," Sonya said as she lifted up a silver wristwatch. "I wasn't sure if it was yours or not."

"It is actually," Wagner replied. "I didn't even realize I left it in there."

Sonya smiled as she handed the watch to him. "Just be careful next time. It's a really nice looking watch."

Wagner took the watch in her hand. "I know. Guile's wife gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday." He placed the watch on his wrist before proceeding. "So how was your day?"

The blonde agent shrugged as she sat down on the bed. "All right, I guess. Today was rather a boring day."

"Tell me about it," Wagner agreed. "I'm about ready to go home. How about you?"

"Yes and no," Sonya replied. "No because I haven't really been this relaxed since my last vacation. Yes because I look forward to see Earth's technology again."

Wagner laughed a little. "I know. If I had known we were going to end up here, I would've brought my portable DVD player along. I brought my disc man with me… but I forgot to bring extra batteries and the old ones died about two hours before Rose showed up on the boat."

"That's a bummer," Sonya said.

A thought came to Wagner then. "So… do you have a family?"

Sonya stared at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," was his answer. “And I did tell you about my family, so it's only fair.”

The blonde woman smirked a little. "Well… my father was in the US military and my mother was a homemaker. They've both since passed away. I also had a twin brother, Daniel… but he too passed away when I was young from illness."

Wagner frowned a bit. "Damn… must've been hard to end up being the last family member to survive. Before I found out my sister was alive, I knew that feeling all too well."

"Yeah… speaking of your sister-"

"Nothing yet," Wagner quickly replied. "But at this point, I highly doubt she's here with so little days left of our time here."

Sonya stood up. "Even with those little days left, just continue to keep your eye out. And even when we leave here, you can still continue to search for her back on Earth." A yawn came over her, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Well… I'm off to bed."

"All right," Wagner said. A grin appeared on his face. "Gee, that was a depressing conversation."

Sonya laughed. "But it's definitely something one needs to talk about every once in a while."

"Yeah… hey, thanks for returning my watch."

"No problem. Goodnight Scott."

"Goodnight Sonya."

Afterwards, Sonya turned around and left the room. Wagner laid back on his bed. Sleep suddenly began to come over him and from there, he decided to hit the hay for the night. After closing his eyes, his eyebrows arched down in annoyance as a thought came to him.

_Damn it! She called me by my first name!_

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

Wrapped in blankets, Lei and Chun Li sat in front of the lit campfire, which had countless twigs and thin branches in order for the fire to last longer. During the time that they were silent while leaning against one another, Chun Li looked up at the dark blue sky. She frowned at the thought that Outworld's night sky didn't provided any stars.

' _And the one time we didn't have to deal with light pollution too!_ ' she thought.

After looking up at the sky, Chun Li looked over at the man next to her. "Lei?"

"Hmm?" he replied as he turned his head to her.

Chun Li nudged him a bit with her elbow as a smile came over her face. "When we go back home, what is it that you look forward to the most?"

Lei turned his head over to the campfire as he tried to think of an answer. "Let's see… a few things actually. For one thing, I can't wait to sleep in my own bed and in my own apartment… with windows!"

Chun Li laughed a little. "Yeah, I knew we were all going to miss those windows the very day we first came to this cave."

"…You know what's even sadder?"

"What's that?"

"…I actually miss rush hour."

Chun Li's jaw dropped open in shock. "That's the one thing I _don't_ miss."

A grin came over Lei's face as he decided to joke with her. "You mean you don't miss the traffic, the smell of exhaust fumes in the city air, crowded bus stations, and the rude people?"

"None of that," Chun Li said after spitting her tongue at him. "But I will say that I can't wait to see the stars again… even if they can barely been seen from Hong Kong."

Snaking his arm from out of his blanket, Lei placed it around Chun Li's shoulders. "And I know another thing I look forward to… the dinner and movie date I promised during the first round of the tournament."

Chun Li smiled feeling a bit flattered. "You still remembered."

Lei brought his face closer to hers. "That's a sort of thing I don't forget."

Noting how close he was, Chun Li decided to take the opportunity to slowly cover the remaining space between them before pressing her lips against his. Lei immediately returned the kiss and used the arm wrapped around Chun Li to bring her a little closer to him, putting more passion into the kiss.

As the kiss continued, Chun Li felt her heart flutter through the majority of the time that passed. She had been in relationships before. However, her relationship with Lei, though short-lived up to this point, seemed different to her and she had a good feeling that this relationship was going to last, considering how sweet of a person Lei was.

In Lei's mind, it was once in a while hard to believe that he was with a wonderful woman like Chun Li. His last relationship had ended badly after his ex had dumped him in favor of his former assistant because she couldn't handle his workaholic ways. It had left him depressed, but he had since moved on. After that experience, he didn't think a woman like Chun Li existed.

He was glad to be wrong.

As the two continued to kiss, the two suddenly heard what sounded like a few people running and out of breath. At the same time, Lei and Chun Li broke their kiss and turned their heads to the noise. They weren't sure how to react upon seeing Cody, Yun, Ken, and Cassandra running a couple of more feet before collapsing on to the ground a few feet away from the couple.

Lei let the four catch their breaths for a moment before he dared to question them. "…What happened?"

That's when Cassandra slowly got herself on her knees before slamming a fist into the ground in frustration. "I AM NEVER DOING ANY FAVORS AGAIN!" she screamed out as she got herself to stand up. She then ran back into the cave.

Silence lingered in the air again for a moment before Chun Li spoke. "Um… do we dare want to know what happened?"

"Don't worry," Yun said as he was finally catching his breath. "Cassandra just likes to… complain."

"Basically," Ken continued for him. "We were sent out to get new mugs at the palace. We got caught and were chased around the tournament grounds, trying to avoid coming over here, before we finally lost them."

Cody raised a single finger up in the air. "I _officially_ declare Raiden and Rose INSANE!"

Lei laughed. "I hope Rose didn't predict you saying that."

Chun Li stood up. "I'll get you guys some water. You just rest here."

Yun tried to move but couldn't find himself to right away after all the running he did. "…That won't be a problem…"

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress Grounds**

Hidden behind a large boulder staying most invisible, Yoshimitsu spent a majority of the evening checking up on activities in the fortress grounds. Mostly the area was quiet and he mainly saw guards and a few other unknown individuals going about their way.

The quietness of the area actually made Yoshmitsu disappointed. From where he was, he had hoped to at least hear a conversation between two guards about any activities in the fortress… or even about the medallion, but he highly doubt he would hear anything about the medallion from mere guards.

As he continued to play spy, the katana wielder began to wonder… does the Outworld Emperor even know the real power of the medallion? Perhaps if he did, he would've been consumed by it's powers by now and everyone would've known about it by then.

Yoshimitsu could never forget the day the medallion came close to consuming him. Centuries ago, he had been in the middle of a battle between an evil clan here in Outworld and he had been leading his Manji clan to defend themselves against them. The medallion and the scroll that came with him were placed safely in one of his pouches.

While in battle, a sudden pain struck him and he was suddenly surrounded by a white light, no longer able to see his surroundings. He had grabbed the medallion, hoping it would somehow grant him to stop whatever was happening to him. He remembered being in shock upon looking at the red tear on the medallion. It had glowed numerous times before… but this time the red light was more of a bright beam and would've hurt the eyes of a normal human being.

He happened to have been holding the medallion in his right hand, which was suddenly turning black. He tried to drop the medallion then, but his fingers refused to move. In a desperate attempt to escape from the clutches of the medallion, Yoshimitsu took his katana and chopped off his own arm just below his elbow, freeing himself from being consumed by it's power. The light went away then and he found himself in Japan.

Briefly after that thought, Yoshmitsu looked at his right arm. After he had chopped it off all those years ago, he had previously replaced it with a wooden prosthetic, but as new technologies came about, it has since been replaced by a bio-mechanical prosthetic. The arm has been great use to him, especially when it came to use his katana to fly away from enemies like a helicopter.

He then looked up at the night sky, realizing how late it was getting. From there, he made a decision. Because of lack of activities as of now, Yoshmitsu decided to continue spying the area. Perhaps within a couple of days, he would infiltrate the fortress…


	54. Chapter Fifty-Three

**_The Next Day, Mid-Afternoon_ **

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

At the front entrance of the fortress, two guards stood in front of the doors. It was only the two of them in the area since everyone else who was serving the Emperor were either inside the fortress or down at the tournament grounds.

"I'm glad for once that it's quiet around here," the first guard said. "I was getting sick of all the constant noise around here."

"Yes," the second guard agreed. "But don't you think it's a little… too quiet?"

The first guard laughed with amusement. "Nah… this is Outworld for crying out loud! I'm not surprised that it's quiet like this. Besides, it's only the middle of the afternoon."

The second guard shrugged. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

Silence fell between the two for a minute before the first guard spoke again. "Say, when do you get off?"

"In about two hours," the second guard replied.

"Three hours here. If you wait for an hour, some of the fellows and I are going down to the lodge near the wastelands for a drink if you like to come with us."

The second guard nodded. "That sounds gr-"

He was then disrupted by a rustling noise which sounded similar to someone running. The two guards quickly raised their kwan dos, expecting an enemy to attack. However, after a few more moments, all was silent once again.

"What the hell was that?" the second guard asked.

The first guard sighed as he got himself out of his attack position. "Who the hell knows. For all we know, it could've been a rat running nearby."

"Yeah, you're probably-"

Suddenly, a _slice!_ was heard right next to the second guard. He turned his head towards the first guard. To his horror, the first guard was cut in half right through the torso with his legs falling forward and the rest of him falling over the stoned railing and to the ground below them.

"Who's there?!" the second guard demanded aloud as he raised his kwan do in front of him. Even when he tried to act brave, that didn't hide the fact that his entire body was trembling in fear.

Unknown to him, a figure in invisible form walked behind him. Raising his sword, he swiftly chopped off the second guard's head off without making a sound. That was with the exception of the slicing noise and the sound of the guard's head rolling a few feet before coming to a stop. Once both guards were dead, the figure got himself out his invisible form, revealing Yoshimitsu.

"That takes care of that," he said to himself. "Now to begin the mission." Quietly, he went to the door and opened it, placing himself in invisible form once again before entering.

Unknown to Yoshmitsu, however, another guard was returning from the tournament grounds when he witnessed the deaths of the two guards and Yoshimitsu getting out of his invisibility briefly. After Yoshmitsu entered the fortress, the guard began running to one of the back entrances to warn one of Shao Kahn's generals of the invader.

~~~

**Courtyard**

Moments ago, Shang Tsung had called for the only match of the day to begin… the match between Sektor and Ivy Valentine. Neither one of them had made a move as of yet, but the two did circle each other as they waited for the other to make the first move.

Both fighters had their swords drawn out. Ivy held her coiled blade with the tip at knee level while Sektor held his double red pulse blades, one in each hand.

Sektor decided to make the first move after nearly half a minute of him and Ivy circling each other. He covered the distance between them and lashed out his blades at her. Ivy quickly blocked the attacks with her own sword and soon the two were exchanging various sword moves. The sounds of their weapons clashing was heard around the Courtyard.

Eventually, Sektor lifted up a hand and his four fingers seemed to go inward to form what looked like pistols. Ivy knew what was coming and managed to quickly kick his hand away just as Sektor shot small missiles from his fingers. The missiles ended up hitting the ground and exploding upon collision.

Ivy jumped forward after the explosion and the two engaged in combat once again. She was able to block Sektor's attacks even when he swung both blades in fast speed at one point. It wasn't long before Ivy managed to knock one of Sektor's blades of his hand. The weapon ended up rolling out of the ring.

With Sektor slightly distracted from losing his blade, Ivy quickly uncoiled her sword before lashing it out at Sektor, who was caught by surprise from the sword's new form.

Sektor quickly performed a few backward flips so that he had room in between him and Ivy. His chest opened up and three small missiles quickly shot out at once. Using her sword, Ivy threw two of the missiles off course, sending them exploding on the ground. She was then forced to dodge out of the way from the third missile and it flew out a few feet out of the ring before exploding in the air.

Ivy quickly stood up after moving. "Extend!" she cried out as her sword quickly extended itself out towards Sektor. She swung the sword upward before bringing it downward again, both maneuvers managing to hit Sektor. However, she attempted a side swing, but it ended up missing as Sektor managed to duck under the attack.

When Sektor recovered, Ivy lifted her sword in the air before bringing it downward. Sektor saw this move coming and he managed to grab the tip of her weapon with his hand. Before Ivy could react, he managed to pull her towards him with Ivy nearly tripping in the process.

Ivy was now close enough to where Sektor could perform some hand to hand attacks. Quickly, he punched her in the face, following it up with an elbow to just below her collar bone, a move that nearly made lose her breath. He then finished with a palm slam to her face, sending her stumbling backwards a few feet.

Before Ivy could recover from the attack, Sektor quickly grabbed her arm and extended it out. He then took his elbow and attempted to smash her own elbow in. However, before he could hit the target, Ivy managed to perform a hard back kick to his stomach, forcing him to stumble back.

"Now you're dead," Ivy muttered before lashing her sword out yet again. She quickly extended her sword out and wrapped her sword around Sektor's neck. She then quickly lifted her sword up, sending him flying in the air before quickly pulling him down, sending him crashing into the ground.

After Ivy released him, Sektor attempted to get himself back up. As he did, Ivy brought her sword downward again, hitting him. She then brought her sword up and hit him again. This time, she ended up cutting a couple of his wires, making sparks ignite around his torso.

Sektor looked up at her. "You… bitch! You will be… eliminated!"

Ivy smirked. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

With that, the young woman quickly wrapped her sword around both of Sektor's ankles. A green energy covered her sword as she charged up some energy before she quickly lifted her sword up, sending Sektor flying in the air once again. Soon he came crashing down back to the ground, landing face down. More sparks covered him before smoke sizzled out and he didn't move again.

After a few moments, Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Ivy Valentine!"

Ivy lifted her sword so that the weapon was once again coiled. She sighed to herself a bit, somehow feeling a bit bored of the tournament at this point. Although her last six opponents have fought with all they had, it didn't seem enough for the Keisei native.

 _Perhaps my next opponent will be more challenging_ _,_ she thought to herself before leaving.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Guarding the entrance to Shao Kahn's throne room, Baraka and Mileena watched for anyone who came near the door whether it was an ally or foe. Mostly they stayed silent since they knew their Emperor was in the next room over.

Eventually though, Mileena spoke to Baraka in a low voice so that anyone that could be nearby wouldn't hear them. "So… do you think those two imbeciles down at the dungeons will survive?"

"Not likely," Baraka replied sternly. "I'm sure that they'll meet their demise by the end of the tournament." He then looked over at the black and pink-clad woman. "The two fools that escaped us during the fourth round of the tournament only got nothing more than mere luck. If it wasn't for the traitor Ermac, they would've been dead by now."

"That is if they haven't died from their wounds," Mileena reminded him.

"… Yes… as a matter of fact, no one has spotted either of them since their escape."

Mileena slowly walked over to her comrade as she stared at him with seductive eyes. "Well, two things could've happened to them… indeed they could've died from their wounds or…" She then gently placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it a little with her palm. "They could be in hiding."

"Maybe," Baraka said. "But remember the reporting… when Ogre attacked Ermac, he was with the one guy who is now missing. No one is sure what happened to the girl, but I get the hunch that she eventually met her demise."

"Perhaps," Mileena said as she began taking off her veil to reveal her tarkatan teeth.

Baraka stared at her as he noted the gesture. "Not here…" he said.

Mileena looked up at him seductively. "One little kiss won't hurt us. Besides… there's no one around."

Baraka briefly moved his head so that he could get a better look at the area around them. He then sniffed the air a bit to get a sense of any possible presence's blood, but he smelled nothing but the slight moisture in the cool air. Afterward, he looked back at Mileena.

"Fine… but not too long."

As they leaned in and began to open their mouths, Baraka suddenly heard a set of running footsteps that suddenly came. He quickly backed away, much to Mileena's slightly dismay as she had not heard the footsteps.

"What's the matter?" she asked as she placed her veil back over her mouth..

"Shh," Baraka hushed her. "Someone's coming."

A few moments passed before a guard turned a corner and ran over in their direction. "You two!" he called out. "I need to speak to the Emperor immediately!"

Baraka let out a small growl. "Shao Kahn doesn't just speak to anyone, especially not a mere guard! So don't you think that you can just wallow your way here unless _you_ were the one guarding the door."

"We'll relay the message to him," Mileena said to the guard. "What is it that you have to say to him?"

"Someone has infiltrated the fortress and killed the two guards at the front gate!"

Mileena shook her head a little. "Once again, these fools think that they can take us on."

Baraka pointed a finger at the guard. "You go down to the corridors and find this intruder! I'll relay the message to the Emperor!"

"Thank you," the guard said before running off. Once he turned the corner, Baraka looked over at Mileena briefly before turning around to open the door and enter Shao Kahn's throne room.

The Emperor heard the door open and he looked up from his throne. "Why are you off your post?" he demanded.

"A guard just informed me of an intruder!" Baraka called out in reply. "He was able to kill the two guards at the front gate and make his way in! The guards are already out searching for him."

"I see," Shao Kahn said. He briefly gave this a thought before an idea came to him. "Find the nearest guard and send him to Quan Chi. Have the guard tell him that he is ordered to hunt down the intruder."

"I'll tell him myself," Baraka said.

"Do not be stubborn," Shao Kahn replied. "And besides, you still have to stay at your post."

Baraka resisted the urge to growl at the Emperor. "Very well then," he said before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

Shao Kahn slightly sighed to himself as he leaned back into his throne. "Once again, another fool enters the fortress…"

~~~

**Main Palace, Early Evening…**

Meditating while sitting on the floor, all was quiet in Heihachi's room… much to his likings. His eyes were shut closed and his hands were placed gently on his knees as he kept himself in full concentration.

For the majority of the time since he began his meditation, Heihachi thought of nothing… not even the fact that his grandson Jin was here somewhere in Outworld possessing the power the old man needed for the Mishima Zaibatsu.

At one point, he received a flashback of something he hadn't thought of in a long time…the day that he killed his son Kazuya Mishima. Heihachi didn't even notice the smirk that appeared over his lips as that thought came to his mind. Kazuya had threatened to destroy the Mishima Zaibatsu and all of it's experiments and the people involved with the corporation. Heihachi himself was able to render him unconscious, carrying him to the nearest volcano, and 'drop him off' as he always liked to call it.

It was the second time that Heihachi had dropped Kazuya in a volcano, the first time being nineteen years ago, and the third time that he had thrown him off any sort of cliff edge.

With Kazuya out of the way, Heihachi could continue with his operations.

So who exactly was running the Mishima Zaibatsu at the moment? That was an easy answer… Kuma, his pet bear. Most people would find it odd that Heihachi was having a bear running his company while he was away, but unknown to them, Kuma possessed the average intelligence of a human, with the exception of not being able to talk like one. Obviously, Kuma was the only living being in the world who Heihachi can trust, even if he was not human.

As Heihachi continued with meditating, he heard a rustling sound just outside of his room on the balcony. He quickly opened his eyes and turned his head over to the door. The double glass doors were closed, but the gold curtains were wide open. And for a moment, he thought he saw a shadow standing over there. However, upon see it, it was as though the shadow realized that it was caught. Quickly, it disappeared from view.

With one eyebrow raised, Heihachi stood himself up and walked over to the doors. Opening one door, he stepped outside, seeing nothing on the balcony. He walked out further until he reached the railing. He looked down from his third-floor room and only saw a few people down at the palace grounds going about their business. He then looked above him and saw nothing but the clear night sky and it's large moon above.

"Hrm," Heihachi grumbled as he realized he couldn't figure out where that shadow came from. He then decided to forget about it as he came to the conclusion that it may have been just his imagination.

Heihachi returned to his room, shutting the door behind him before locking it for good measure. Afterward, he closed the curtains over the door before turning around to head for bed for the night.

As soon as he took one step forward, a loud sound of shattering glass was heard just behind him. Heihachi never had the time to even react when someone behind him jumped on him and knocked him to the floor.

Immediately after crashing into the floor, Heihachi quickly turned over to knock the intruder off of him before getting himself up. Once he stood up and got into a fighting stance, he found three tarkatans with their blades out and surrounding him.

"Great, this again," he grumbled to himself.

Quickly, the tarkatans jumped forward to attack him. Heihachi grabbed the first tarkatan in the ankle as he attempted to kick him and turned one hundred and eighty degrees before letting it go. The tarkatan flew quickly to the door head first, crashing through it and hitting the opposite wall before being rendered unconscious.

The second tarkatan jumped forward and attempted to lash his blades, but Heihachi managed to dodge the maneuvers, save the on that nearly cut his shoulder. When he got the chance, Heihachi head butted the tarktan right on his forehead, sending him flying towards the wall before crashing into it.

The third tarkatan had managed to get himself behind Heihachi during the second fight. He launched himself and managed to tacking Heihachi to the floor. After that, Heihachi threw him over him sending him flying out to the balcony area outside. Heihachi rolled forward and stood himself up before launching himself after the tarkatan.

The tarkatan tried to maneuver himself out of the way but it was too late as Heihachi grabbed a hold of him. The two of them stumbled back before they found themselves going over the railing.

Before they knew it, they were beginning their descent to the ground three stories below!

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Still in invisible mode, Yoshimitsu quietly sneaked his way around the fortress. At this point, he had made it to the fourth level of the fortress and only a few guards came through, unknowingly passing the intruder they were hunting for.

Eventually, Yoshimitsu made his way into a hallway, which seemed to look a bit fancier than the rest of the fortress with luscious green plants placed in various areas, carefully crafted gargoyle statues, a long red rug with gold designs, and dark wooded doors mounted between the dark green wall.

 _Perhaps this is the Emperor's quarters,_ Yoshimitsu guessed.

The lone warrior walked himself down the hallway, passing by a few doors in the process. That was until he noticed that one of the doors was slightly ajar. Curiosity got the best of him as he made his way towards the door. He peeked through the crack, but was barely able to seeing anything but a desk which rested against the wall. And on the desk was something he never expected to see…

A yellow-tinted scroll.

 _Is it what I think it is?_ he asked himself. He looked around the area he was in briefly before pushing the door back and walking himself into the room.

Yoshmitsu walked a few feet from the desk before taking the paper in his hand and unrolled it. He didn't even have to read the black-inked kanji to know exactly what the scroll was for.

The scroll told of _Chishio No Me's_ power.

 _I didn't think I would see this again of all things,_ he thought in his mind again.

"I had the feeling you would come here sooner or later," a voice suddenly said from behind.

Yoshmitsu quickly whirled around, cursing himself for not being more careful, and faced the person who just spoke to him. Standing a few feet away was a pale-faced man who looked at him even when in invisible form. Obviously the scroll, which was not invisible, gave his location away.

Normally, Yoshmitsu would attack the man, However, what the stranger had just said pretty much confirmed that he knew who he was.

Perhaps he had information about the medallion.

"Who are you?" Yoshmitsu asked.

"Who I am is not important," the stranger replied. "What matters more is why you are here?"

Yoshmitsu got himself out of his invisible mode, having no more use for it for now. "You should know the answer by now… since you've admitted that you had expected me here… sooner or later…"

"So you are the one called Yoshmitsu," the man continued. "I guess since I know you, it wouldn't be right if I didn't introduce myself… the name is Quan Chi."

Upon hearing that name, Yoshimitsu grabbed the hilt of his sword and got himself into a fighting stance. "You're the one sending those guards to kill me!"

"Yes and for good reason," Quan Chi answered. "You are the last known wielder of _Chishio No Me_ -"

"So you know about the medallion?"

"More than you can imagine. As a matter of fact… you're not the only surviving former wielder. I assume you have heard about the spy who reports to me."

Yoshimitsu stared at the sorcerer, realizing that he was beginning to answer another one of his unasked questions. The former medallion wielder kept silent as he waited for what the sorcerer had to say.

"Fifty years before you came about the medallion," Quan Chi began. "Another had it in his possession… the Fighting God Ogre."

Yoshimitsu knew the name all too well, having heard all the myths and legends when he was living in Earthrealm. So it was quite a surprise for him to not only learn that he wasn't the only surviving former wielder, but the other was that of Ogre.

"You see," Quan Chi continued. "Since Ogre possessed the medallion, he gained the ability to have psychic connections to all past and present wielders, dead or alive. This was how I was able to discover who you were and what the medallion has nearly done to your form. Even we're not sure why the medallion has tried to possess you and that's what we're trying to find out."

"I'm curious to know," Yoshimitsu began to ask. "Does your Emperor know of this?"

"The fool knows nothing," Quan Chi replied. "Most people find me foolish that I just went up and gave away the medallion to him. However… what they don't know was that before I came here, I met with Ogre while traveling through the wastelands of Outworld. He told me of it's power and the days when he once had the medallion for himself. He had told me of you and how it nearly possessed you. As a matter of fact, the medallion had managed to successfully possess a few now-dead wielders. What became of them is unknown and that's what we are trying to find out. The best part was the plan to give it to the Emperor and act as though it was a gift to him. Originally, I was going to offer my limitless powers to him, but this was a better idea. The truth of the matter is that it was given to him so that _he_ will eventually be succumbed by it's power… with that… my chance to rule Outworld."

"A smart plan, but only for your foolish deeds," Yoshimitsu said. "You made the mistake of revealing the truth to me."

Quan Chi let out a maniacal laugh before replying. "No… I had a good reason to tell you… it's because I don't plan to let you leave here alive."

Quickly, Quan Chi took out his double broadswords from his scabbards. With that, Yoshimitsu jumped forward, performing a forward somersault before swinging his katana downward at his enemy. Quan Chi quickly took his swords and managed to block the attack.

From there, the two exchanged various sword attacks on one another. As they attempted to overpower the other, the clanging sounds of their swords left echoes all around the room and just outside of it. With each sword clash, small blue sparks ignited.

Unfortunately for either of them, the fight only lasted a short time as guards came running into the room, most likely to protect the sorcerer. However, this only angered Quan Chi as the guards surrounded him protectively and attempted to attack Yoshimitsu himself.

"You fools!" Quan Chi yelled out in anger. "I've told you before that I would take care of this myself!"

"But we were ordered to-" one guard attempted to say. However, his head was chopped off by Quan Chi's sword before he could finish what he was stating.

The other guards looked at the sorcerer in shock briefly before someone cried out, "Traitor!" before they all jumped in to attack him.

 _Idiots_ _,_ Quan Chi thought rolling his eyes before he attacked them as well in order to defend themselves. His fight with the guards didn't last long as he slaughtered them one by one, feeling a bit of satisfaction once they were all dead.

"Calling me a traitor," he said with a bit of amusement. Then he remembered about Yoshimitsu and he quickly looked around the room… only to find that he was now gone. Obviously, he took the opportunity to make his escape after killing the guards who had gone after him.

"DAMN IT!" Quan Chi yelled out in frustration. Before he really felt his anger, he happened to look down on the floor and saw that the scroll was still in the room lying on the floor unraveled. The sorcerer smirked to himself.

Either Yoshimitsu had forgotten about it, or the relic wasn't as important to him as the medallion was…

~~~

**Main Palace, Top Floor**

Reaching the door to his new room, Vega looked around the hall to check to see if anyone was around. That wasn't the case, so he took that moment to unlock the door and enter his room.

After closing the door behind him, he reminded himself to lock the door. It had been six days since he managed to bring the young woman Xianghua into his own room. Since then, he had kept himself low-key around the tournament grounds and had even asked for a room change so that Xianghua's friends wouldn't find him so easily again.

Besides, the room suffered a few minor damages including a broken door.

After locking the door to his new room, Vega looked up and noticed the mirror that hug on the wall of the door. He lifted up a hand and took off the white porcelain mask from his face before admiring himself through the mirror. He briefly checked to see if he had any scratches on his face and was satisfied to know that there were none.

"As beautiful as ever," a female voice said from behind him. Vega smirked as he recognized the voice who told him exactly what he was thinking. He turned around to find Anna Williams lying on her side in the king-size bed. The Spanish matador smirked even more upon seeing that she was wearing a red silk robe that left her legs bare and the v-neck leaving a view of her cleavage.

"I see the Emperor gave you the rest of the night off," Vega said.

Anna smirked as she nodded. "There wasn't much else to do. Everything's prepared for tomorrow, considering that it marks the last day of Round Six. One of our own, Ivy, managed to make it to the next round."

"That's good," Vega replied as he approached the nightstand. He placed his mask on the top of the nightstand before maneuvering himself to sit near the foot of the bed. In reply, Anna sat herself up in order to get herself closer to him.

"So how was your day?" Anna asked.

"Boring as normal," Vega replied with a small sigh. "I'm nothing more than a bodyguard to the Emperor."

"Too bad you don't go to the dungeons like I do when I'm asked to," Anna said. "Especially when the one person you hate so much is down there."

Vega looked over at her. "Your sister I assume."

Anna nodded. "To me… I think she should be tortured down there for another nineteen years… to make up for those 'lost' years."

"Explain this," Vega asked.

Anna positioned herself so that she was sitting on her knees next to Vega. "Nearly two decades ago, Nina failed an assassination assignment with the Mishima Zaibatsu Corporation. Because of this, they captured her and used her as a test subject for their 'cold sleep' project. Basically, she would be in suspended animation for a certain time. I volunteered for the project and asked to be awakened when the time came to awaken her. The nineteen years went by and Nina was soon awakened… unfortunately, she was affected with long term memory loss. Luckily, that didn't happen with me. For two years I've tried to reconcile, but I suspect she remembers all the bad things we had in our past. She had even blamed me for our father's death."

From there, Vega knew her matter was personal. He lifted up a hand and gently brushed her face with his fingers. "I have a better idea. How about instead of talking, let's just… enjoy the night."

Anna smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

From there, they let themselves enjoy the long night ahead.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

For some time, Yoshimitsu ran around the fortress, making his way downward. He was unsure of exactly where to go, but one thing was certain… he must find _Chishio No Me_. On his way, he fought the guards who found him, slaughtering them with his own sword within seconds before moving onward.

Eventually, he reached a dark gray door, taking notice of it right after killing the guard who had stood in front of it. The door didn't seem to match with any other door in the fortress, especially since it contained steel skulls serving as doorknobs. Either way, he became curious as to where it lead to. He reached for the knob, turned it, and opened the door before entering.

The area was mostly dark with only a couple of small candles on the walls that were being used as a source of light. The area itself was a hallway made out of dark gray stone all on the floor, walls, and ceiling.

As Yoshimitsu stood there, he heard a commotion in the distance from outside, realizing that more guards were coming. Quickly, Yoshimitsu shut the door behind him before he began to quickly make his way down the hallway. As he did, he noticed that the floor was slanted and he figured that it was leading him downward.

Soon, the floor slant ended and he briefly stopped to get a look at the new area he was in. Judging by the few steel doors in this particular hallway and the fact that each door contained a small window with steel bars, he realized that this was an underground dungeon. Not thinking much about it, he continued on his way, hoping for any sort of escape from this place.

However, the moment he turned a corner, he noticed the handful of guards standing a few yards away. So that he wasn't noticed, Yoshimitsu attempted to go back the other way. However, another set of guards had showed up… and noticed him.

"There he is!" one guard yelled out. Obviously, this made the other group of guards aware, turning around to see the intruder a few yards away. Yoshimitsu was now surrounded, having no other choice but to fight back.

He waited until the first two guards on either side of him reached him. With that, Yoshimitsu jumped up and performed an air split, kicking both guards hard in the face, forcing them to be knocked to the floor. Three other guards attempted to attack him and Yoshimitsu swiftly swung his sword in a full circle, chopping all three of their heads off. Two more guards jumped in with Yoshimitsu performing a sweep kick at one, also knocking him to the floor. The other Yoshimitsu managed to grab and throw over his shoulder with such a force that the guard crashed through a very large cell door that was locked.

It didn't take Yoshimitsu that much longer to take down the remaining guards, whether he rendered them unconscious or killed them. Once he did, he found himself being the only one still standing, his sword raised in front of him.

"Those guards must mean nothing to the Emperor considering how weak they are," Yoshimitsu said as he straightened himself out.

Before he could move another inch, he heard a heavy set of footsteps. Slowly, Yoshimitsu turned himself around and saw something he never expected to see…

The monster Berserk emerged passed the broken cell door, staring at Yoshimitsu with his pale eyes as he dragged the unconscious guard by his head. Even by the sight of the monster, Yoshimitsu never flinched.

After staring at the intruder for a moment, Berserk lifted up the unconscious guard up in the air with one hand. Then, he tossed the guard aside who tumbled down the hall like a rag doll for a few yards before coming to a stop.

 _What is he?_ Yoshimistu asked himself. With that, Berserk let out a loud roar that echoed all around the dungeon. He then looked at Yoshimitsu again before charging after him, his heavy feet pounding the shaking ground. In reply, Yoshimitsu lifted his sword in defense as he prepared to fight the monster.

~~~

**Palace Grounds**

It wasn't until after going over the railing that Heihachi realized what had just happened. A moment ago, he was fighting three tarkatans, obviously out to kill him, in his own room on the third floor of the main palace. He had managed to defeat two of them and now he was taking a fall outside with the last remaining tarkatan.

So that he didn't land on the ground without injury, Heihachi pushed the tarkatan away from him and did a couple of somersaults in the air before landing his feet on the ground. As he landed, he completed bent his knees, crouching low to the ground and placing his hands down on either side of him. A sharp stinging sensation went up and down his legs, but it didn't affect him as much as it would for an ordinary person.

As for the tarkatan… he landed in the same position a few feet away. After taking a moment to recover from the fall, they both stared at each other and, without any further hesitation, ran towards each other to continue their combat.

Not many people were anywhere near the fight. Those who happened to witness the ongoing fight got themselves as far away as possible. This was because either they didn't want to get themselves involved in the situation or out of fear of the tarkatan they rarely see around the tournament grounds.

At one point after a few hand-to-hand maneuvers, the tarkatan drew himself back briefly to take a moment to draw out his two blades, one in each arm. In reply, Heihachi rolled his eyes.

"Pfft, you think your puny weapons will make you better than me?" he asked him.

The tarkatan let out a short roar in rage before jumped after Heihachi. He lashed out his blades and swung them sideways. Heihachi managed to dodge out of the way before the blades cut him, rolling forward and under the tarkatan before standing himself up again.

Both fighters turned around and launched after each other again. The tarkatan endlessly swung his blades while Heihachi dodged from them while trying to find an opening to strike back. During that time, he received a couple of cuts on his arms, but they didn't affect him all that much.

Eventually, Heihachi managed to find his mark. He quickly lifted up a leg to knee the tarkatan in the stomach. He then followed it up with a few punches in the face, knocking some of the tarkatan's teeth out. During the last punch, Heihachi charged up some red energy in his fist before punching the tarkatan in the stomach, sending him flying a few feet back before landing on his side.

Heihachi stood where he was as the tarkatan struggled a bit to get himself back on his feet. Eventually, he was able to and he briefly spit blood out of his mouth before turning his attention to Heihachi.

 _Not about to give up, I see,_ the old man thought to himself.

Before the Tarkatan could move however, a long knife came flying from Heihachi's left, whizzing passed him by a couple of feet as it went into a diagonal direction. Before the man could figure out what was going on, the knife quickly plunged into the tarkatan's neck, the force sending him back to the ground on his back. Heihachi watched as the tarkatan's body shook a couple of times before becoming completely lifeless.

Heihachi quickly whirled around in the direction where the knife came from, expecting to at least see a glimpse of the attacker. However, from where he stood, he saw no one in that direction. He quickly looked around the rest of the area around him, but not a single soul was in sight and all was quiet.

The old man squinted his eyes in a bit of suspicion, but after a while relaxed. The knife had only passed him by a few feet. If the knife was intended for him, the attacker would've thrown the weapon much closer to him. The weapon also seemed to hit in the right place that lead to the tarkatan's demise.

 _Perhaps whoever threw the knife only intended to kill the tarkatan,_ Heihachi thought. _Whatever that case may be is of no importance to me._

Suddenly feeling tired then, Heihachi began to make his way back into the palace, intending on returning to his room to rest for the night.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress, Dungeons**

Within the darkness of the dungeons, Yoshimitsu waited where he stood as the monster Berserk charged himself after him. Being such a large being, the area seemed to shake with each step that he took.

When Berserk was close enough, Yoshimitsu quickly launched himself up in the air before performing a somersault over the monster. Berserk stopped himself and managed to turn himself around just as Yoshimitsu landed on the ground with his feet. Yoshimitsu quickly faced Berserk just as he swung his fist at him, forcing him to duck underneath.

After ducking, Yoshimitsu quickly straightened himself up and performed a quick spin kick with one foot while keeping his other foot on the ground as leverage. He managed to successfully kick Berserk, but the attack left little affect on the monster.

 _This is more tough than I thought,_ Yoshimitsu said to himself.

Quickly, Berserk grabbed one of the long bars from one of the cells and ripped it right off without much struggle. He then attempted to swing it down at Yoshimitsu, who quickly blocked the maneuver with his sword. The strength of Berserk's attack forced Yoshimitsu to bend his knees down so that he kept his balance.

The two of them leaned their weapons against each other for a moment before Berserk pulled back and swung down the bar once again. Yoshimitsu quickly blocked the attack again and the two briefly exchanged moves, their weapons clashing and causing small sparks with each hit.

Eventually, Yoshimitsu managed to knock the bar out of Berserk's hand. While he was distracted momentarily, the smaller fighter took the opportunity to thrust his sword forward to stab the monster right through the chest.

Berserk let out a loud roar upon being stabbed and Yoshimitsu had expected for him to collapse immediately afterward. Instead, the monster pulled him back so that the sword was out of his chest. Then, he stood where he was as some of his blood gushed out of his chest.

Yoshimitsu looked at him with dismay, especially considering that he had managed to stab him right through the heart! "Impossible," he said aloud.

After he said that, Berserk immediately let out a loud roar before throwing his fists at him once again. Yoshimitsu quickly dodged out of the way from the attacks as he tried to figure why the monster didn't die when he should have.

It wasn't too long before he found the answer. He was able to see through the hole of the wound he made not too long ago. Just passed Berserk's ribcage was his heart and it took Yoshimitsu a couple of more looks to realize that the heart was not beating.

 _So…you are undead,_ he thought. Upon realizing this, Yoshimitsu knew that there was one way to kill someone who was already dead. If that plan didn't work, then he had no other choice but to make any sort of escape.

It was worth a try.

Berserk continued swinging his fists at his smaller opponent, who was able to quickly dodge underneath and around them. Soon, he swung with both fists at once, bringing them towards each other in front of him. This gave Yoshimitsu his opportunity.

Quickly, Yoshimitsu launched himself in the air, going slightly diagonal towards the monster. Once he was directly above Berserk's head, he thrust his sword downward, the weapon piercing through the monster's bald head and through his brain.

For a moment, Berserk stood still as he coughed up some blood from his mouth. Then, he fell forward, forcing Yoshimitsu to jump off of him and land behind him. After landing on the ground face down, Berserk's body shook violently a couple of times before becoming completely still.

Once he was still, Yoshimitsu walked up over to him. He waited for a moment to see if the monster would make any more movement, but there was none. However, he decided, for good measure, to take a moment to decapitate the monster. Because Berserk's neck was so thick, it took Yoshimitsu four slices to completely sever the head from it's body before it rolled a couple of feet away.

For a moment all was quiet and Yoshimitsu was pending on whether or not to make his escape out of the fortress or continue pursuing the medallion. However, a soft moan was heard not too far from him, breaking him from his thoughts. The moan was then heard again and it sounded as though it was coming from a weakened person. At first, he thought that it came from the unconscious guard a few yards away, but upon looking at him, he was still unmoving.

 _A prisoner perhaps?_ he thought.

Yoshimitsu then decided that it was best to see if there were any prisoners trapped within this dungeon. He began walking around the area, looking in every cell that he passed. Eventually, he came upon a cell where a man dressed in torn black clothes sat in the back corner. Quickly, Yoshimitsu used his sword to break the lock on the door before going in the cell.

The man in the cell looked up at Yoshimitsu, his eyes struggling to stay open. "Huh…" he slightly uttered.

Yoshimitsu bent down to him. "What happened to you?"

Before the man could speak, Yoshimitsu suddenly heard footsteps. They were far, but he had the feeling that they came from more guards searching for him.

The prisoner had heard the footsteps as well and spoke. "Leave me here… my partner…Nina… she's in… the cell across from me… she's in worse condition than me…"

Yoshimitsu ignored his request as he quickly picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. "I'm not leaving one of you behind. I'm taking you both with me. What's your name?"

"…Raven."

"I am Yoshimitsu."

Quickly, Yoshimitsu left Raven's cell and went to the one across from it. Using his sword, he cut the lock on the cell and opened the door after placing his sword in it's scabbard. There, he saw a young woman lying on her side most likely unconscious. Quickly, he picked her up and threw her over his free shoulder, hearing her moan a bit in the process.

For a while, Yoshimitsu ran around the dungeon in hopes of another exit out. Eventually, he found a set of stairs that took him up to a wood door. He kicked the door open and sighed with relief as he noticed the night sky and the countless trees nearby.

 _I'll have to come back for the medallion later,_ he thought. _Right now, I need to take care of these two._

With that, the Manji Clan leader made his escape with Raven and Nina in tow and disappeared into the night.


	55. Chapter Fifty-Four

**_The Next Day, Last Day of Round Six_ **

**Cave**

"Oh Kilik!" Xianghua called out as she stood by the curtain that lead to her friend's room. "Are you in there?"

Inside the room, Kilik was sitting on his bed as he cleaned his staff with a dry washcloth. He head snapped up a bit upon hearing his name being called and he instantly recognized Xianghua's voice.

"Yeah I'm here," Kilik replied. "Come on in."

Xianghua pulled the curtain aside and walked into Kilik's room. "Good morning. Cleaning your staff again?" she asked with a bit of cheerfulness in her voice.

Kilik smirked at her. "Yeah. I kept forgetting to do this and I happened to remember as soon as I woke up this morning." He took a moment to rub the cloth on the staff for a moment before looking back up at Xianghua. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than a few days ago," Xianghua replied with a sigh as she recalled her encounter with Vega at the main palace a while ago. "I still have nightmares every once in a while, but I am grateful that nothing worse happened to me."

"Yeah," Kilik agreed with a small nod. "And I'm glad that Maxi and Mi-na got to that room when they did."

Xianghua decided to change the subject then. "Well, um, I'm pretty hungry. Do you want to go to breakfast in a little bit? I was going to ask Maxi, Mi-na, and Hwang if they wanted to go with us as well, but they had already went down to the palace."

"That sounds nice," Kilik said. "Unfortunately, I've made plans already, plus I already had some fruit."

"I see… what kind of plans do you have for today?"

Before Kilik could answer, a female voice was heard from behind. "Are you ready to head out?" she asked.

Xianghua quickly turned around to see Jade, who stood just outside the room. The two greeted each other as Kilik stood up from his bed. "I'm just about ready," he said.

"Great," Jade said. "I suggest we do our training session at the beach near here. With the air being more chilly at this time, not many people will be there."

"That's good to know. Let's head out." Kilik then turned to Xianghua. "I'll catch up with you later, Xianghua." He then began heading out as he followed Jade.

"Bye…" Xianghua said before letting out a small sigh. Unknown to her as she slightly looked down at the ground, Jade quickly turned her head, mainly to see Kilik behind her. As she began turning her head forward, she caught a glimpse of Xianghua and frowned a bit upon seeing the disappointing look in her eyes. She wasn't sure exactly what to make of it, but she decided to take note of it just in case.

Xianghua stood where she was until she could no longer hear the footsteps from either Kilik or Jade. Still feeling hungry, she made the decision to head to the lounge room and have some fruit. As she began heading out, she realized that another person heading in the same direction Kilik and Jade had went and the two quickly stopped themselves from bumping into each other. Xianghua looked up to notice Mika.

Mika smiled almost immediately upon seeing her. "Good morning Xianghua," she said cheerfully.

Xianghua managed to get herself to smirk at her. "Good morning Mika," she replied.

The young wrestler frowned a bit upon hearing what sounded like the feeling of disappointment in Xianghua's voice. "Hey, is something the matter?" she asked with curiosity.

"Nothing really," Xianghua said with a shrug. She then looked around the empty hall of the cave before proceeding. "You see… I have this 'friend'…"

Mika tried not to smirk, knowing that Xianghua was going to talk about herself. "Go on."

Xianghua sighed a little before continuing. "Well… my friend, um, she's having a bit of a problem. You see, she's had her eye out for this guy who is her friend for quite sometime and she realized that he had his eyes on someone else. I, eh, _she_ is trying to get over him, but can't seem to do so."

"I see," Mika replied. She took a moment to try to think of what to say before continuing. "Well, I'm really not sure what to say. The only thing I can think of is that your friend should try to talk to her crush before it's too late. Have her tell him how she feels. If he only sees her as just a friend and really likes the other girl, the only other thing to do is move on."

Xianghua smirked. "Thanks-eh… I'm sure my friend will be thankful for your advice."

"Well tell your friend 'you're welcome,'" Mika replied with a smile. "Say, I was about to get something to eat. Do you want to come to breakfast with me?"

"Sure," Xianghua said. "I was just going to have some fruit, but having breakfast at the palace sounds a bit better."

"Great," Mika replied. "I hope they're serving some good stuff today."

"They always serve good stuff," Xianghua mentioned as the two began heading out of the cave.

Not too long after they left, Alex Walker emerged from her room after she got herself ready for the day. After closing the curtain to her room behind her, she briefly looked down at her wrist. Although there were still some scratches on them, the burns that were there days ago have since recovered and no longer hurt her. The aching feeling she had all over her body after waking up from her day-long sleep have since ceased as well.

A few days ago, Rose had finally sat down with her and told her what had really happened to her. She had gone missing after she lost her match during round four of the tournament and was found in a dungeons by Kenshi the next evening and woke up twenty-four hours later. The scars on her back were evidence that she was whipped multiple times and the burns on her wrists were from being hung by ropes during her ordeal. Rose had suppressed the memories of her torture from her mind so that it didn't have any emotional effect on her. Rose needed her to focus on their mission.

Alex wasn't happy by the fact that her mind was tampered with. However, she quickly forgave Rose afterward because it was indeed for the best. Who would want to always remember such a trauma anyway?

And considering how the memories were 'suppressed,' she did wonder on more than one occasion if something in the future will trigger them and bring them back to the surface...

Alex sighed to herself after the thought, deciding to try to forget about it, though it obviously wouldn't be that easy. The very thought of the fact that she knew she had been tortured still haunted her and it was something she rarely spoke about to anyone.

Sighing again, Alex began walking down the quiet halls of the cave, only going down a few rooms before stopping in front of one of the curtains. She heard rustling from behind the curtain and knew that Kenshi was in his room. She pulled the curtain aside and walked in and she saw him standing there, adjusting his black finger-cut gloves. He was fully dressed for the day with the exception of his katana, which laid on top of his bed.

"Preparing for your match today?" Alex asked.

Kenshi turned his head to her upon hearing her voice. "Yeah. I'm going to do some training for a bit to better prepare myself. Did you eat anything?"

"Not yet," Alex replied. "I was going to go down to the palace with Sonya, Guile, and Wolfman in a little bit. How about you?"

"I already had some fruit that was in the lounge," Kenshi answered. "After my training, we could go back down to the palace to have a quick lunch before the match."

A thought came to Alex. "Come to think of it… Jin Kazama has a match today too and you two are the only ones left in the cave who are still in the tournament. You don't think you two will be facing each other today do you?"

"We've been told that there will be four of us having a match today so the chances of us facing each other is fifty/fifty. Jin and I have talked about that possibility last night. If it happens, there isn't much we can really do, we have to go on with it. The one who wins the match will have to carry the mission out."

"So in other words, we have to hope for the best?"

"Pretty much." After adjusting his gloves, Kenshi picked up his sword from his bed and began adjusting the buckles on the scabbard. He then continued. "Alex, do you remember what I had you do during my last match?"

Alex sighed a little. "Yes, you had me hide behind some people so that the host of the tournament didn't see me." She then frowned a bit. "You want me to do it again?"

Kenshi nodded in reply.

"…The match is at the Courtyard, right?"

"As it will be for the remainder of the tournament," Kenshi reminded her.

In her mind, she made the connection. His reason for his request was to simply hide herself from the match's host. Shang Tsung happened to be the host during the last round and everyone in the tournament knew that he always hosted the matches in the Courtyard. Unless Shang Tsung had the day off (which she doubted considering how close the final round was), it was obvious that Kenshi wanted her to hide from Shang Tsung and not just any host.

Alex walked over to the edge of the bed in the room and sat down before looking up at Kenshi. "You never explained why you have me doing this. Does it have something to do with Shang Tsung?"

Though he stayed silent, Kenshi walked over to her and sat down next to her on the bed. He had the feeling that she was eventually going to make the connection so there was no use in holding back his reason from her.

"It's a known fact that Shang Tsung had or is working for Shao Kahn according to reports," he began. "After I found you in the dungeons, Rose and Raiden talked to me about what happened. I brought up where I found you and they came to believe that it may be Shao Kahn's fortress. If that was true and if Shang Tsung does work for him, then he may end up recognizing you in the audience, if he had anything to do with what happened to you. It's more of a precaution, but I don't want to take any chances."

After explaining this, Alex reached for his hand and took it into hers. "I understand now, though I kind of wish you told me sooner."

"I only withheld this from you because, when I first requested you to do this, you weren't aware of what happened to you."

Alex smirked a little. "Then again, the subject hasn't really come up in a while. Too much going around here lately."

"That's true," Kenshi agreed.

In a way, he was finally glad to tell Alex the reason for his unusual request. However, what he told her was only part of the reason why he didn't want Shang Tsung to see her. He still didn't want to reveal his long ago encounter with the sorcerer, the very man who caused the loss of his sight, and the one who tricked him into releasing the souls of his ancestors. Kenshi had lost the very few people he knew in his life and the last thing he needed was for Shang Tsung to find out about Alex.

~~~

**Somewhere Outside The Tournament Grounds**

For a while, it was as though Nina Williams was surrounded by nothing more than darkness. Her mind felt as thought it was spinning all around and it took her a while to finally open her eyes slowly. The darkness disappeared and at first she was only about to see blur. She slowly opened and closed her eyes trying to get rid of the blur and it took her a while before she finally did. Her mind felt sore as she tried to figure out exactly where she was. After a while, she realized that she was looking at the leaves, obviously attached to the trees around her.

 _Where am I?_ she thought to herself. She blinked a couple of more times before she decided to attempt to sit up. She had barely moved when she felt a sharp pain going up and down her body, forcing her to clench her teeth and wince in pain before falling back.

"I'm glad to know you're finally awake," a male voice suddenly said nearby.

Nina blinked again before turning her head towards the voice. Sitting across from her was Raven, who was sitting up with her legs resting straight out and his hands rested behind him to give him support. For a moment, Nina attempted to recollect her thoughts despite the headache that suddenly came to her.

"Wh… what happened?" she asked him.

Raven sighed a little. "To be honest, I can't remember much myself. I guess with all the torture we dealt with for the past few days, you can't really remember much aside from what we endured." He then stared at her. "But one thing's for sure… we were rescued about twelve hours ago."

While he talked, Nina forced herself to sit up, ignore the pain that coursed through her, sighing of relief once she was finally up. She then looked down at her arms and noticed some bandages, guessing that they were injured and that the rescuer took care of them. "Who… rescued us?"

"He hasn't told me much, but he had introduced himself as Yoshimitsu," Raven replied. "Right now he's out to get us some food."

Nina knew the name almost right away. Yoshimitsu had been a participant of the past King of Iron Fist tournaments on Earth. Other than what she called an 'odd' appearance, she knew nothing more about him.

At that moment, someone emerged from behind the tall trees. Raven and Nina turned to see Yoshimitsu, who was carrying a bag and a bucket with steam coming out of it in either of his hands.

Yoshimitsu reached the two and placed the bag and bucket down before turning to Nina. "I see that you're awake Nina," he said to her. "You were quite injured from your ordeal. As a matter of fact, I wasn't sure if you would make it through the night, but I'm glad to know that I was wrong."

Nina kept silent as the odd man unzipped the bag and took out some food which was wrapped in napkins, giving one to her and another to Raven. "I suggest we hide out here for a while. We are far from the tournament grounds and it's least likely that someone will find us out here."

Silence fell over the three as Raven and Nina unwrapped the napkins and saw that they both received sandwiches. Neither of them cared what kind of sandwich it was as they quickly bit into them, eating them quicker than they ever had in their lives. Once they finished them, Yoshimitsu each gave them a cup of warm water from the bucket and they both drank them down as well.

Afterwards, Raven placed his cup down before looking up at Yoshimitsu. "We have been staying at another location within the tournament grounds. The reason for it is to mainly hide from any of Shao Kahn's enemies."

"Even so, it's still not safe to return there for now," Yoshimitsu suggested.

"Our allies there will be wondering where we are," Nina said.

"Yes, but things have been more tight now that the tournament is close to the end," Yoshimitsu mentioned. "I was… investigating Shao Kahn's fortress searching for some… information when I found you two in the dungeons. Is there a reason why you were captured?"

"We were investigating the fortress as well under orders from our superiors," Raven answered. "Unfortunately, we were both caught a few nights ago."

Nina then had a thought as she looked up at Yoshimitsu. "Were you investigating _Chishio No Me_?"

Yoshimitsu was silent for a moment before speaking. "That'll be a discussion for another time. Right now, the two of you need rest. In the meantime, I'll be out to collect some firewood to make a fire."

From there, Yoshimitsu took his brief leave. Once he was far away, Nina turned to Raven. "So he's having us stay out here for a few nights? …Should we attempt to make a break for it?"

"As much as I would want to," Raven began. "It's risky not only for us, but also for those in the cave as well if any of Shao Kahn's minions happen to see us. Right now, it is best to hide out here, at least until we recover from our injuries."

Nina nodded then as she fell silent, intending on saying nothing more for the remainder of the day.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

While walking, Kitana looked around the area that she was in as she stayed within the cave grounds. The area was filled with smaller trees with the beach not too far away and the walls made of boulders nearby which formed the cave she was now staying in. Being in the cave wasn't exactly what she called luxury, but it had brought a much more peaceful environment than at the main palace. If it wasn't for the purple sky above, this would've been nearly like her home Edenia.

She wondered how Edenia was holding up. Originally, it was just going to be her with Jade accompanying her here. Her mother Sindel had insisted to go as well and put one of their leading knights in charge of everything until their return.

 _I just hope that everything is good,_ she thought to herself.

As she continued her stroll, she noticed two people sparring near the beach area just passed the trees. Curiosity got to her so she decided to walk a few feet forward to get a better look at the two who were sparring together. Immediately, she recognized Jade as she was briefly on offense before being forced to switch on defense. Kitana looked at her sparring partner and saw a young man, who wielded a staff as his weapon. She couldn't remember his name, but she did recognize him as Jade's opponent during the fourth round of the tournament.

The thought alone made Kitana frown a bit as she thought about Siegfried. The moment realized she was thinking about him, she mentally slapped herself. Even despite the kiss they shared not long ago, she didn't want to think about him at the moment.

"Long time so see," a female voice said near her. Kitana turned to the voice and immediately recognized Sonya Blade, her long-time ally. It was because of Sonya and the other Earthrealm fighters that Edenia was free from Shao Kahn's tyranny, something she had been always grateful for.

"Yes, it has been quite some time," Kitana replied. "What have you been up to?"

"Well I just got back from breakfast," Sonya answered. She then smiled at the Princess. "I was quite surprised to learn that you two were here. Seems that we never had that moment to run into each other."

"Indeed, but I am happy to join with all of you again."

That's when Sonya turned her head and noticed that Jade was sparring with one of the young men from the cave. "I see Jade is doing well herself."

"She has," Kitana said. "It seems now that she's enjoying herself here."

Sonya couldn't help but smile as a thought came to her. "And what about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

An image of Siegfried entered Kitana's mind once again and she quickly pushed it away. "As of now, I still remain single. I'm still saddened over Liu Kang's death, but I've been doing much better."

Sonya frowned upon hearing the name of her deceased ally. "Yeah… we were all shocked when Raiden told us what happened. But know that he's watching over us now and we much continue to protect our realms. He would've wanted this."

"Yes, he would have," Kitana agreed.

From there, the two fell silent as they found themselves watching the spar that was taking place in front of them.

**~~~**

**A Few Hours Later, Beach Area**

"Once again a nice lunch," said Ryu after finishing off the meal that he was eating. "You're quite a good cook."

Julia couldn't help but chuckle a little. "They're just sandwiches."

"But either way you made them," Ryu said.

Sitting at the beach area, the two decided to have a picnic there, not wanting to deal with the crowd the main palace had to offer. They sat down on a blanket over the beach's sands and with them was a basket that carried the food Julia had made for them.

"It's such a nice afternoon," Julia said as she looked on at the view before them.

"It is," Ryu agreed.

"Hard to believe that we only have about a week left of the tournament… and then we go home."

"As long as everything goes according to plan," he reminded her.

"That's true," Julia said. She then sighed a little. "I wonder though… you and I both live in different places on Earth… what do you think will happen to us?"

Ryu fell silent, not expecting that sort of question. As a matter of fact, he never thought about what would happen to them upon their return to Earth, especially considering how long they've been to Outworld up to this point.

"Well," he began to say. "Since I'm a traveler, I guess I could go stay with you for a bit once we return."

Julia smiled. "That sounds nice. I have my own studio apartment so it'll be a good place to kick back. Then… maybe perhaps after a week or two I can come with you to Japan before I begin my third year in college."

"That sounds nice," Ryu agreed. "Perhaps that's what we'll do." Then a thought came to him. "Say… do you think you'll find out anything about your mother before we leave here?"

Julia shrugged a little. "I'm not quite so sure at this point. But even if I don't find out anything here, I'm sure I will at another time. Either the person who sent me the letter either was pulling a prank or they somehow couldn't make it."

"Like we said," Ryu began. "There's only another week left here. Perhaps you'll end up finding something out at the last minute."

"Perhaps," Julia said as she continued looking out at the view before her.

~~~

**Inside the Cave**

It was mostly quiet as Cammy walked through the halls of the cave. Her mind was clear from any thoughts so it was easy for her to hear a small commotion from behind one of the curtains. As she got closer to the commotion, she realized that it was coming from Wagner's room.

 _Wonder what he's up to?_ she asked herself. Quietly, she stepped over towards his room. After gently pulling the curtain aside a bit, she peaked into the room and saw Wagner sitting on the floor in a circle with Ken and Cody. In her hands were a batch of playing cards.

"What are you guys playing?" she asked out loud. All three guys turned their heads and noticed Cammy peaking into the room.

"Go fish," replied Cody.

"Of all things?" Cammy said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well we played just about every card game we know by now," said Ken.

"May I watch?"

"Sure," Wagner said. "And maybe you can join us when we're done."

"Sounds good to me," Cammy agreed as she walked into the room and sat in between Wagner and Cody.

"So where's Jin?" asked Ken has he looked over at his cards.

"He's out training for his match," Cammy replied.

"How are you two anyway?" questioned Wagner.

Cammy found herself trying to hide the smirk that attempted to come over her lips. The thought what happened with Jin a couple of nights ago at the hot springs came over her mind. "Everything's wonderful," she managed to say.

"I'm curious to know," Ken began to ask. "What's going to happen to you two when we all return to Earth."

The young woman raised her eyebrow again. "What's with all the questions?"

"Hey, we're just curious," mentioned Wagner. Then he grinned. "After all… you were curious about what the three of us were doing."

Cammy playfully pushed Wagner in the arm. "That's not the same thing though!"

"Technically it is, but with different situations," mentioned Cody.

"Anyway," she jumped in. "Jin and I have talked about it and have figured out what we're going to do…"

"Get married?" Wagner cut in jokingly.

"…I'm so going to strangle you," Cammy growled which caused Wagner to chuckle. She then continued. "As I was saying, Jin decided to stay with me in England for two weeks so that we could have more time to figure things out. After all, he mentioned that he's never been to England before."

"England's a nice place so he'll have a good time," Wagner mentioned. “Then again, the locals say otherwise...”

"I know one thing though," Ken cut in. "I can't wait to get home to Eliza and Mel. Since I've lost the tournament, I've been thinking about that cruise we're planning more and more everyday."

"I'm not in too much of a hurry to go home," said Cody. "I have this feeling that my ex-girlfriend Jessica is going to ring my neck."

"Why so?" asked Cammy.

"Well… to make a long story short, I kind of left our hotel without letting her know where I was going…"

"…You did have someone let her know, right?" asked Ken.

"Of course! I'd be even more stupid if I didn't do that."

"Makes me glad I'm a single guy," mentioned Wagner.

Cammy couldn't help but grin, deciding to pay him back for his 'are you and Jin getting married' type question. "What about Sonya?"

Wagner looked up at her in a bit of surprise, not expecting to be asked that question. He took a moment to swallow before replying. "We're just friends. Besides, she's better off with other guys than I am."

"Now don't put yourself down like that," said Cody. "And by the way… do you have a ten?"

"Go fish."

"Damn!"

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Throughout most of the afternoon, Ivy Valentine strolled down the halls of the fortress, keeping her eye out on anything suspicious. Hours ago upon going on duty for the day, Shao Kahn had ordered her to patrol the fortress along with some of the other minions.

Up until this morning, Ivy wasn't aware of the events that took place late last night which had caused an outcry. An invader had entered the fortress and the moment he was discovered, he went on a killing spree, killing many of the guards who were on duty that night. Not only had he freed the two prisoners in the dungeon and escaped with them, but he had also managed to eliminate the monster Berserk.

Once she heard of Berserk's death, Ivy didn't feel any remorse. She had always felt that he was a useless creature and seemed to serve only to place fear amongst the prisoners and torture them whenever they were in his large cell. In a way to her, she couldn't help but shout in her mind, 'good riddance!'

Obviously, Shao Kahn became paranoid after last night. He believed that the intruder was after _Chishio No Me_. If the tournament close to the end, it was no surprise that those who had lost the tournament had gone delusional, taking risks in an attempt to steal the medallion for themselves.

 _I should've assumed that sort of thing was to be expected,_ she thought to herself.

Another thing that grinded her gears were the guards themselves. Nearly each and every one of them were useless. She figured that their only purpose was to stand in between their enemies and Shao Kahn's minions. Even so, they were still useless as they always seemed to die off in high numbers.

As she continued walking through the darkened hall, Ivy suddenly noticed a shadow nearby, standing in front of one of the doors. She slowly made her way over to the shadow, expecting it to be a guard. However, the closer she was, the more she realized that there were two shadows instead of one… and both shadows were intertwined in what looked like a passionate intimacy. This convinced her surely upon hearing their heavy breathing.

Unaware of who they were, Ivy decided to get their attention. "What are you two doing?" she called out.

Immediately, both figures jumped and quickly pulled away from each other as they stumbled into the light, revealing them to be Baraka and Mileena. Baraka stood where he was, staring at Ivy while Mileena quickly placed her veil back over her face to conceal her teeth.

Ivy stared back at the two, admitting to be a bit surprised that these two shared a passion for each other. By their reaction to her voice, it was obvious that they were going about this behind Shao Kahn's back.

"How long has this been going on?" she asked.

Normally, Mileena would have told Ivy to back off and to leave them be. However, she knew that the Emperor seemed to have a bit of a liking to the woman from Keisei. Even if Mileena was considered a daughter to Shao Kahn, she knew that he would choose Ivy's side… that's how loyal she was to him.

"A while…" was all Mileena said.

"I see," Ivy said as she continued to eye the two of them. After a while, a smirk came over her face. "That's cute. And I assume this is all behind the Emperor's back?"

Baraka's eyes narrowed in anger. "And I assume you plan to tell Shao Kahn of this?"

"…Actually I don't." Ivy watched as the two became a bit surprised by her answer. She continued. "There is nothing wrong with romance on the side. However, do not let it cloud your judgment, especially during your missions." She then turned around and began walking away. As she did, she spoke once more. "I'll keep your secret. However, if I hear one word of any sort of… betrayal of the Emperor, I will personally make sure that he knows of this."

Baraka and Mileena could only stare at each other as Ivy disappeared into the darkness of the fortress.

~~~

**Courtyard**

A large crowd had gathered around the tournament ring as they awaited the two matches that were to take place today. Raiden watched from a hill so that he wasn't seen by anyone associated with Shao Kahn. He admitted that he hasn't watched that many matches since coming here to Outworld. However, he felt that it was important to come on this particular day…especially considering that the only two chosen ones left in the tournament would be attending the last day of round six.

As he continued watching, Rose came up to him from behind. "How long before they begin?" she asked.

Raiden turned to the soul psychic as she sat down next to him. "Shang Tsung hasn't arrived yet, but I assume that it will start soon."

"I see," Rose said. She looked down at the ring below the tall hill. "Well… it's a fifty/fifty chance… all we do is hope for the best."

"Indeed," Raiden agreed. A smirk came over him. "I am happy to say… many of our chosen ones have chosen to attend today."

"That's good," Rose said. The two continued looking down at the courtyard as they waited for the first of the two matches to begin.

Meanwhile, everyone in the ring waited for the match to begin. Soon enough, Shang Tsung arrived at this throne accompanied by two Shadow Priests who glided on either side of him.

"Greetings!" he called out. "Welcome to the last day of Round Six of The Blood Tournament! Today, four of our contestants will be participating. Therefore, two matches will be taking place today to determine who will be in Round Seven, which will begin in two days."

As he continued speaking, Siegfried looked over at the empty ring in front of him. He was one of the four participants of today's match. As mentioned, it was the last day of round six and at this point, he felt very close to claiming the tournament prize. He had hoped to win this so that he could finally lift the curse that was placed upon him.

On the other side of the ring, Kenshi stood a few feet from the edge of the ring, completely prepared and ready to fight. He was surrounded by his allies and Alex, who stood behind him as he requested. Briefly, he thought about _Chishio No Me_. He was never entirely sure what he wanted to do with the medallion if he won the tournament. Sometimes, he had thoughts of using it to lift the curse that was responsible for his blindness, but he wasn't sure if that was what he wanted just yet.

Nearby, Jin adjusted his short silver gauntlets that were over his long finger-cut gloves as he awaited for the first match to be announced. _Chishio No Me_ came to his mind and thoughts of lifting his devil gene curse with it's power made him more determined to move on to the next round.

"And now," Shang Tsung continued. "The first of the two matches shall begin!"

All was silent as everyone waited for the sorcerer to announce the first of the two fighters for the upcoming match. Shang Tsung decided to wait a moment in order to build suspense. Soon, he finally announced the first fighter…

"Jin Kazama!"

Jin stretched his fingers out a bit upon hearing his name being called. Cammy, who stood next to him, whispered, "Good luck" to him. Jin nodded in reply before he made his way to the ring. The audience watched as he made his way to the middle of the ring before stopping as he awaited for the announcement of his opponent.

Everyone once again waited. Shang Tsung let the pause linger, this time a bit longer than previously. He was amused by the fact that only he knew who Jin's opponent was. As he let the pause linger, he stared at the one participant who was attending the tournament today as well. After a while, he turned his head to the right and stared at Kenshi for a while, who seemed to stare back at him despite being blind. Then, he turned his head to the left and stared at Siegfried. Siegfried looked up at the sorcerer and noted the small smirk that was on his face.

 _Perhaps I'm next_ _,_ he thought.

Finally, the sorcerer opened his mouth and a name came out…

"Kenshi!"

It was what Raiden and Rose's chosen ones had feared. They all had hoped that the only two chosen ones left in the tournament would not face each other until at least the next round. However, it was not meant to be. Whoever was to win this match would have to carry on the mission alone and fight through the final two rounds in order to obtain the medallion.

To Kenshi, it was no surprise to him. He had the feeling all along that he would end up facing Jin in this round. After hearing his name being called, his adjusted his black finger-cut gloves for a moment before making his way to the ring (once he moved, Alex moved herself so that she was behind a tall person next to them).

Jin looked on as Kenshi approached, eventually stopping a few feet away from him. Neither one of them said anything, especially since they had already talked about the possibility of this situation, which was now happening.

However, Jin said one thing as he got himself into a fighting stance. "May the best win."

Kenshi nodded in reply before getting himself in his own fighting stance.

Once the two were ready, Shang Tsung sat down at his throne. "Begin!" he called out.

Seconds later, Jin decided to make the first move as he slightly slid his foot forward before running towards Kenshi. Once he was close enough, he began attacking with punches from different directions, forcing Kenshi to get himself on defense, blocking with his arms and ducking under Jin's fists a few times. Eventually, Kenshi sensed an opened and jabbed his hand into Jin's abdomen. Despite the pain that suddenly hit him, Jin quickly managed to block a few incoming punches. Now he found himself on defense with Kenshi on offense.

After a while of exchanging punches and blocks, Kenshi managed to perform two forward kicks at Jin's midsection, causing him to rear back. Before Jin knew it, Kenshi managed to grab Jin by the shoulder before letting himself fall back, throwing Jin over him and sending him flying a few feet back before landing on the ground.

Both men got up at the same time and began running towards each other again. As they did, Jin quickly jumped up and lifted up a leg, performing a spinning kick as he flew forward. Kenshi managed to back away before being hit and soon Jin was forced to land back on the ground.

Kenshi quickly covered the distance between them again and the two were back in their hand-to-hand combat. They exchanged some punches before Jin managed to get himself on full offense. Once he did, he managed to break through Kenshi's blocks by landing a couple of jabs at his mid-section. He then attempted a punch to the face, which Kenshi blocked, but then he followed it with a hard kick to the mid-section, forcing the swordsman to stumble back a bit.

As Kenshi recovered, Jin attempted to jump after him again. This time, Kenshi lifted a hand, his head suddenly surrounded by a light blue aura. Then both his hands along with Jin glowed in the same colored aura. Kenshi then raised his arm more, causing Jin to be lifted in the air as well. Jin was caught by surprise as he let out a short grunt as he found himself in the air. Then Kenshi turned his arm so that his palm was facing downward. He quickly brought his arm down, causing Jin to be slammed to the ground before finally being released from the telekinetic hold.

The blind swordsman waited for a moment so that Jin got himself back on his feet. Once that happened, they both ran after each other. Jin managed to get himself on the offense first. He managed to perform a high punch, which was blocked, following it with a mid-punch, which connected. As Kenshi was distracted from the attack, Jin took the opportunity to perform a side kick, causing his opponent to stumble sideways.

Kenshi almost found himself falling to the floor, but was able to gain his footing before that happened. Once he did, his body was surrounded by the light blue aura again and he performed a double roundhouse in the air. Despite being a few feet away, Jin still felt the affect of the kicks. After the second one, he was knocked to the floor.

Jin shook his head quickly after the attack. _He's a good fighter,_ he thought to himself. He then rolled himself back before getting on his feet again.

From there, the two men circled each other briefly as they waited for the other to make the next attack. This time, it was Kenshi who jumped forward and delivered a few punches and kicks, forcing Jin to once again block.

However, Kenshi managed to break through the block with a couple of punches before performing an uppercut, sending Jin flying in the air. Luckily, the younger man was able to regain himself as he got himself in a backward somersault before landing safely on both of his feet.

Once he completely regained himself, Jin ran over to Kenshi again and the two exchanged a few more punches. At one point, Jin managed to grab a hold of Kenshi's right arm before attempting to use his foot to trip him. However, the older man caught this and managed to jump over his foot before performing a backward somersault. With that, he twisted Jin's arm so that now he was in control of the fight.

Quickly, Kenshi brought one arm around Jin's neck while placing the other behind his leg before jumping up and doing a backward somersault before landing face down on the ground. Jin let out a short cry upon impact as a shot of pain ran through his torso. After landing, Kenshi quickly got himself back on his feet and once again waited for Jin to get back on his feet.

Jin struggled a bit to get back on his feet. Once he finally did, he took a deep sigh before running back towards Kenshi once again. The two exchanged more punches and kicks for a while. Then, Jin managed to grab Kenshi's right arm again. This time, he succeeded when he swung his leg across his face, sending Kenshi flying sideways and to the floor.

This time, it was Jin who waited for Kenshi to get himself back up. While he waited, he charged up some energy into his hands, causing a red aura to appear around them. Soon Kenshi was back up and he ran over towards Jin. After a few blocks, Jin managed to punch Kenshi a couple of times before finally delivering a powerful kick, which cased some red electricity to surround his leg. The kick was powerful enough that it forced Kenshi to flying some feet back.

The moment he ended up crashing into a group of people, he knew that he had lost the tournament…

Moment later, Shang Tsung stood from his throne. "Winner: Jin Kazama!"

Kenshi had managed to sit himself up after stumbling to the ground. He sighed to himself as the fact that he had just lost a match completely sunk in. Perhaps he loss would've been better had he not lost in front of his enemy. Despite that, it was a good match. Since he met Jin, he always knew that the young man had potential and today, he proved just that.

The blind swordsman managed to get himself back up and turned his head over at Jin's direction. Jin looked over at him as well from a few feet away, still standing in the ring. After a moment, Kenshi gave him a single nod, a sign to his opponent that he did well. Jin returned the gesture before the older man took his leave.

Jin stood there for another moment as thoughts played in his mind, sighing to himself as he realized what his win in this match meant… he was now the only one of Raiden and Rose's chosen ones left in the tournament. He was now fully responsible in getting himself to that final round and winning that medallion.

From this point forward, the chosen ones were now depending on him in winning the tournament…

~~~

**Unknown Location**

In the third hideout since coming to Outworld, Noob Saibot stood in the middle of the hollow room with his arms folding. Around him were a couple of scrap metal that survived the destruction of the last hideout. Other than that, there was nothing more.

He wasn't sure (nor he cared) how long he stood there before Sektor showed up with more scrap metal, dropping them were the others were. "That's all that's left," he said. He then stared at Noob. "With you lackey gone, there is not much to do anymore is there?"

"Not quite," Noob replied as he unfolded his arms. "Yes, our plans to create our own army _seems_ to be foiled. Just because Sub-Zero, Ashrah, and Matrik managed to infiltrate our last two hideouts, doesn't mean we can't do the same."

"What are you getting at?" Sektor asked.

"…For a while, I've been coming up with a 'last resort' plan," Noob replied. "I've figured that they would have their hands on Smoke eventually. However, what they don't know is that I've known all along where they have been hiding."

The Tekunin leader stared at the Netherrealm wraith. "You have failed to bring this up during our initial plans."

"I have always planned to reveal their location to you. However, upon inspection, I came to realize that they have been linked with more alliances than expected… there are over thirty of them at their location. Normally, you and I could take on a handful of them fine, but it would be foolish to just ambush them without a proper plan."

"I see," Sektor said.

"However," Noob continued. "With our new fusion technique, we are more powerful combined. With that, we have a better chance of handling the fools. Our objective… kill Sub-Zero, Ashrah, and Matrik at any cost and kill anyone who gets in our way. When we reach Smoke, we'll deactivate him and then return him here. We will arrive there and attack tomorrow night when they least expect it."

"Our fusion will indeed be of assistance," Sektor said as he agreed with the plan. "Now… where is the location."

Noob's white eyes seemed to glow as his shadow-like form darkened. "They are located in a cave south from here, a twenty minute walk from the main palace."

Sektor's only reply to that was a single nod as he began to look forward to their ambush.


	56. Chapter Fifty-Five

**The Next Day, One day before Round Seven**

**_Early Evening…_ **

_Surrounded by countless mountains, a war was being fought between two opposing sides. Various forms of shouts and cries were heard all around as many battles between the warriors took place._

_Standing on top of the mountain, Rose felt horrified by the sight. She was able to spot many of the chosen ones down below. Some of the chosen ones were killed and their very souls were taken before they could descend to the afterlife._

_Rose looked up at the sky above. Some clouds were there, but the sky itself was a blood red. She knew that she had to help her chosen ones…however, when she tried to move, she felt completely paralyzed, being forced to do nothing more than to watch._

God help us… _she begged in her mind._

_After that thought, a ghostly figure in the forum of a demon flew up from the battle up to where Rose was standing. For a moment, it seemed to just float there and stare at her. Suddenly, it shot out towards her direction as though it was getting ready to possess her. Rose opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out…_

Rose let out a loud gasp as she sat up from her bed, waking up from her nightmare. A bead of sweat poured down her face and she found herself trying to catch her breath. Some time passed before she ended up taking a big sigh and she sued the back of her hand to wipe off the bead of sweat from her brow.

 _It was just a nightmare…_ she thought to herself. _But I wonder…_

Since this tournament came up, this was only the second time that she had this nightmare. Unlike the first one, however, this one seemed more real to her. For days, she had been trying to get an answer to this event, but found nothing in her crystal ball. Was it just a normal dream rather than a premonition? Or was something in the atmosphere trying to block this prediction from her?

As these thoughts played in her mind, Rose began to realize how dry her throat was. After taking a little more breathers, she decided to get herself up to get some water. Getting herself out of bed, she realized that her body was shaking a bit. Ignoring this, she got on her feet and began heading out of her room.

Rose reached the curtain to her room and pulled it to the side. She only took one step before she suddenly bumped into someone. Since she was still a bit shaken from her dream, she unintentionally let out a short shriek in surprise. She knew that the person she bumped into was one of the chosen ones and for some reason or another, she couldn't help but embrace the person. She learned herself into the person's chest and realized that she was hugging a man. The man seemed a bit hesitant about returning the embrace at first, but he eventually placed his arms around her.

After a moment, the man spoke. "…Well… this is a rare occasion."

Rose's eyes snapped open as she immediately recognized the voice. She quickly looked up and saw a sly grin on Raiden's face. She pushed him slightly before answering him. "You're the one who hugged me first!"

Raiden raised an eyebrow. "Um… if I recall what just happened, you're the only who ran into me, screamed like a banshee, then threw your arms around me."

Rose let out a small sigh as she tried to relax herself. "What time is it?"

"It's just after eight o'clock in the evening," Raiden replied.

"Hmm… I took a longer nap than I thought," Rose shrugged.

"Yes you did," Raiden agreed. "As a matter of fact, I tried waking you up about an hour ago and you were completely passed out."

"What did you need?" she asked him.

"…Do we had more mugs yet?"

Rose sighed. "Forget about the mugs! As a matter of fact, I have something very important to discuss. Is anyone in the lounge right now?"

"No," Raiden replied. "Most of the mortals went to the palace for dinner."

"Good." She then motioned for him to follow her and the two went into the lounge before sitting down at the small table in the room.

"Now what is this all about?" Raiden asked.

Rose looked at him seriously. "You remember that dream I had before we came here?" Raiden nodded before Rose continued. "I had that dream again. It seemed more real than the last time. I've tried this whole time to figure this dream out, but either it's just a normal or something is preventing me from seeing into the future."

"It is alarming," Raiden agreed with her. "And Nightwolf seemed to have the same vision before we arrived here as well. For the two of you to have the same exact dream is, to me, not a coincidence."

"That has always been in the back of my mind," Rose said. "I ending up thinking, 'it's just a normal dream,' but then I remember Nightwolf's vision as well…"

"Unfortunately," Raiden began to say. "Until you can somehow predict this, or find out from a reliable source, all we do is be cautious."

Rose sighed once again. "Yeah… I hate to just wait around, but there's nothing else we can do…" She then looked up at him. "Do you want some tea?"

"Sure," Raiden replied.

From there, Rose got up from the table to begin making the both of them some tea.

~~~

**Cave, Half An Hour Later**

" _Maintenance and downloads complete,_ **"** a voice from the computer system said out loud.

In her vision view, Matrik scanned the maintenance and download results. Nearly everyday she had been doing this, having some hope that she would somehow regain her past memories. So far, she hasn't had any luck.

 _Perhaps this is not the way to find out_ _,_ she finally thought to herself.

Matrik made the decision to let herself rest for the remainder of the night. Before she went into her bed, the curtain to her room open. She looked up and ended up seeing Smoke coming in. Smoke only managed to take one foot forward into the room before he noticed Matrik.

"Sorry," he said to her. "I thought this was Sub-Zero's room."

"That's okay," she said to him.

Just before he took his leave, Smoke quickly noticed the similarities in both of their nano-technology. A question came to him and he asked her curiously, "Are you part of the Lin Kuei clan?"

Matrik was silent for a moment before replying. "If I was, I do not have any memory of it. All I know is that I was created by the Tekunin clan."

"Sektor," Smoke said as he pushed the curtain to her room closed. "That explains everything then."

"Yes," Matrik replied as she thought of her bitter hatred for the red cyborg who she once called her master. "He is the reason why I am here. I believe that he has answers to my past. Unfortunately, he somehow managed to wipe them out from my system. He did this so that I do not know who I really am. Perhaps he may be hiding something of importance."

"Perhaps," Smoke agreed. He was able to sympathize with the green cyborg. Although they were in different situations, she was manipulated and used by Sektor much in the same way as he was manipulated and used by Noob when he was under the wraith's control.

"There will be a time when you will have your memories back. But think about this… Sektor had his reason for recruiting you to the Tekunin clan. Most likely when you were human, you were a strong warrior. Was his reasons for recruiting you was because you were a respectable warrior? Or was it because you were the perfect criminal… an assassin maybe?"

"So you are saying that this is a possibility that I will not be pleased with the results of my findings? It is a risk I am willing to take."

"Very well," Smoke said. "I am off to look for Sub-Zero-"

"He has gone out for dinner," Matrik cut. "But he should be back soon."

"Thanks for telling me," Smoke said. With that, he stepped out of the room.

~~~

**Far From The Tournament Grounds**

Sitting in front of the lit campfire, Raven and Nina ate their meals silently. Their savior, Yoshimitsu, was out collecting more firewood so that the blazing fire would last overnight. Neither one of them said a word as they ate. As a matter of fact, unless Yoshimitsu spoke to them, they have hardly said a word since arriving in this area yesterday.

The two finished their sandwiches quietly. Once they did, Yoshimitsu made his return, carrying countless firewood in his arms before placing them amongst the other unused firewood.

Neither Raven and Nina knew at that moment that they were thinking the same thing... exactly who is Yoshimitsu? Why was he here at The Blood Tournament? And what was his reason for being at Shao Kahn's fortress when he rescued them?

"I assume the both of you enjoyed your sandwiches," Yoshimitsu began to say.

"We did, thank you," Raven replied. He then stared up at him. "We haven't spoken much since this morning and I have one question for you… who are you?"

Nina looked at Raven peculiarly. "Funny… I was thinking the same thing."

Yoshimitsu started at the two for a moment. Although it was just a single, simple question, he knew that there was more to the question than they were asking. There weren't just asking about his background… they were also asking him why he was at Shao Kahn's fortress. It was only a matter of time before they did.

Besides, it was best to tell at least one or two people about what happened to him when he had _Chishio No Me_.

After debating in his mind, the odd man sat himself down in front of the campfire. "It was only a matter of time before these kinds of questions would come up. There is no use in keeping the information from you any longer."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "I assume you weren't planning to tell us anything about you?"

"It's not just a matter of telling you who I am and where I come from," Yoshimitsu replied. "It's much more than you bargained for. Besides, there is something about _Chishio No Me_ you might not know of…"

Upon hearing the medallion's name, Raven and Nina stared at him with more interest. _Chishio No Me_ was one of the reasons why they were on this mission to begin with and now they were going to find out some information on the mysterious artifact.

"I am the leader of the Manji Clan," Yoshimitsu began. "They are a group of warriors who's goal is to provide for the poor and the sick. Hundreds of years ago, however, we were just like every other warrior… fighting to prove our superiority. During that time… I came across _Chishio No Me_ …"

Raven and Nina looked at him with surprise. "You… held the medallion in your own hands?" Nina asked while sounding surprised.

"Yes," Yoshimitsu continued. "And I've had it for two decades. They were right when they told you that it was the most powerful artifact known to exist. However, there is something about the relic that it's possible that even the Outworld Emperor has no idea about… it's curses those who retains it for so long…"

Raven and Nina fell silent. In their minds, they always knew that a relic such as the medallion was too good to be true. Now they were going to find out the detailed truth about it's powers.

"I had been in a battle when it's affect attempted to take over me," the odd man proceeded. "I don't know what it was doing, but either it was causing my demise, or trying to take control over me." He then lifted up his right arm, which was replaced by his bio-mechanical prosthetic. "As you can see, I was forced to free myself from it's grasps. I came to this tournament in hopes of destroying it. This way, no one has to suffer the same fate I almost met all those years ago."

"Do you know anyone else who had wielded the medallion in the past?" Raven asked.

"Until very recently, I haven't. When I came to the fortress, I met with the sorcerer named Quan Chi. It was he who happened to find the medallion. Apparently, no one succeeded in getting to the medallion after my 'reign.' Only one other living being has wielded the medallion in the past… the Fighting God Ogre."

The both of them looked at him in surprise, knowing fully well who Ogre was. "You're kidding?"

"I was just as surprised as you were," Yoshimitsu mentioned. "One of his wishes has been to have a psychic connection to all past and future wielders and that was how he, and Quan Chi, were able to discover me. He ended up losing the medallion before it consumed him."

"What about Shao Kahn?" Nina asked. "Does he know about this?"

"Surprisingly, only Quan Chi and Ogre know the truth. Shao Kahn knows of it's powers, but isn't aware of it's true nature."

"I assume they have a plan of their own if Shao Kahn doesn't know about this," Raven said.

"Exactly. They plan to overthrow him with the power and take over Outworld… and perhaps maybe the other realms as well. I have no further information to give you since this is the most I know of. You two are the first within the tournament to know of this. I haven't revealed this previously because I've been trying to keep a low profile since the beginning. I give you permission to report your findings to your superiors tomorrow morning."

"Thank you for revealing this information," said Raven.

Nina found herself smirking as she realized that Yoshimitsu had mentioned about reporting this to Raiden and Rose 'tomorrow morning.' "Seems like we'll be heading home soon… sort of."

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

_This is more like it…_ Ivy Valentine thought to herself as she took a big sigh upon feeling relaxed.

Sitting in a bath tub, Ivy leaned her head against the edge and closed her eyes. She felt the hot steam from the water slowly move up passed her face and the smell of roses surrounded the room and tickled at her nose. All was completely quiet, which was what the young woman liked. It was almost like being back at her mansion again… so long that her eyes were kept closed.

In her mind, she imagined herself back in the bathing room in her mansion. The ivory tub was just as big as the tub she was in now and the room was decorated with gold accessories. The marble floor was of an ivory and lavender color which matched the wall and the white ceiling above consisted of a golden chandelier which hung in the middle of the room.

The thought of her home brought on the thought of her adoptive parents. She smirked to herself as she remembered all of those cherished memories with them. Even with the cherished memories, it was later in life when life turned into a living hell and it all started when her adopted father, Earl Valentine, was driven into insanity.

Earl Valentine had nearly squandered the family fortune because of his obsession with Soul Edge. He was an alchemist and felt that by having Soul Edge that he would have more power. It seemed as though his insanity was the cause of his death. Her mother died of illness a year later. It was at her deathbed that Ivy was told how she was left at their doorstep as an infant and was adopted into the Valentine family.

After her mother's death, Ivy found her father's secret diaries within the mansion and learned more about Soul Edge. It inspired her to become an alchemist herself. In one of her researches, she learned that the sword was actually evil and she had vowed to destroy it.

Her journey to destroy Soul Edge would lead to much more than she could handle…

Before her thoughts continued, a knock was heard, forcing her eyes to snap open. Once again, she was back in the dark room of her sleeping quarters with only candles as a source of light. A moment past before the knocking was heard yet again.

"I'll be there in a minute!" she called out. Though she didn't want to, Ivy forced herself to get out of the tube. She then took a towel and dried herself off before grabbing her dark purple silk robe and wrapped it around her to conceal her nude form.

For a moment, she looked down at the robe she was wearing…it was a gift from Shao Kahn when she first arrived here. A thought came to her then… was is a usual thing for any woman to receive any of sort of gift like this when they first join up with the Emperor? Or was Ivy getting some sort of special treatment?

The knocking was heard again at the door. "I'm coming!" she called out. Ivy stepped out of the bathing room and into the main bedroom. She then went to the door and opened it. On the other side of the door was Reptile.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"I came to tell you that Shao Kahn wanted to ssssee you in hisss throne room," Reptile reported. "He hasssn't sssaid his reasssonsss."

"I see," Ivy replied. "Tell him that I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Very well," Reptile said before taking his leave.

Ivy stared off into space for a moment as she stood by the door. She was beginning to notice that Shao Kahn has been calling her to the throne room lately. Mainly, it was about the activities within and outside the fortress and sometimes it seemed pointless to her. However, it was something that she wasn't going to question him about…just incase.

After a moment, Ivy stepped back into her room and closed the door behind her.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

"S'mores?" Cody offered as he raised a marshmallow on a stick from the campfire.

His friend Guy looked at the slightly melted and burnt marshmallow for a moment. "No thanks," he replied. "I've already had my share of food for the night."

"You suck," Cody told him as he placed the marshmallow in between two crackers and a chocolate bar. "I assume you never were much of a dessert person."

"Not really… but I will admit I could go for some salmon ochazuke right about now."

Cody felt his nose scrunch up upon hearing that. "Please don't talk about fish right now," he begged before he began eating the s'more.

A random thought came to the Bushin ninja at that moment. "Why do they call that thing a s'more anyway?"

Cody shrugged. "I have no idea… maybe it came from 'some more' or something like that."

"I see."

"Gee, Maki and Yang were supposed to join us right about now. Where do you think they went?"

"They probably haven't returned from dinner yet," Guy guessed. "Just be patient until then."

From a while afterward, the two fell silent, unsure of how to keep up the conversation for right now. Cody continued with making more s'mores until he couldn't eat them anymore. As for Guy, he found himself closing his eyes and began to do a bit of meditating.

Throughout the whole day, Cody's mood was steady. His day consisted of eating three meals, plus a few snacks, playing a few rounds of Go Fish with Ken and Wagner, and now hanging out with his old friend at the campfire eating s'mores.

 _Come to think of it_ _,_ he thought. _Everyday has been kind of the same since I lost the tournament…_

There was one thing that always surprised Cody since this whole deal with the tournament began… becoming one of Raiden and Rose's chosen ones. When Guy invited him to accompany him to Outworld, Cody had expected the whole deal to just be a normal tournament. However, even before arriving in this realm, the tournament proved to be beyond normal. He was chosen along with Guy in helping with making sure that the medallion, _Chishio No Me_ , doesn't fall into the wrong hands at the end of the tournament.

To Cody, he believed that he hasn't done anything good ever since he and Guy, along with their friend Mike Haggar, saved Metro City from the clutches of the criminal organization known as Mad Gear eight years ago. They had even saved Cody's girlfriend (at the time) and Haggar's only daughter Jessica, and Cody personally knocked Mad Gear's leader, Belger, right out the window.

Ever since Metro City was saved, Cody felt that the city wasn't completely ridden of evil just yet. For over a year, he got away with beating up criminals in alleys and bars. Eventually, someone reported him for assault and he served six years in jail, only being released a few months ago.

From there, he knew that he wanted to atone for his atrocities and try to find himself. After talking with Jessica, he felt that he got his boost and began his journey. The first thing he did was go to Japan and visit Guy mainly to catch up since they haven't seen each other since he went back to Japan for training.

At that point, the Outworld ordeal began.

With all the sins weighing on his shoulders, Raiden and Rose somehow sensed what they called 'his pure heart and soul.' He couldn't understand what it was that made him good enough to be part of this group. It was an answering he's been trying to seek out since that night on the ship to Outworld.

 _Is it better for the question to be left unanswered?_ he asked himself.

As Cody thought about all of this, he hadn't noticed that Guy had opened his eyes and noticed that he was deep in his thoughts.

"Anything on your mind?" Guy asked.

Cody blinked a couple of times upon hearing his friend's voice. He then turned his head to him before replying. "Sort of… I've been thinking about those days in Metro City… when Mad Gear ruled and three guys went off to save the day and the girl."

"It's been about eight years since that happened," Guy said. "Only seemed like yesterday. I was never able to ask you, but how is Haggar?"

"Last I checked, he was still mayor of the city," Cody replied with a short laugh. "With the way he cleaned up the city, I'm sure he'll be in that office for a very long time." Then a thought came to him. "Whatever happened to that one guy, Rolento?"

Guy shrugged. "I think he went to Europe to try to form his own army… so I've heard about five years ago." A question for Cody popped in his head then. "I wonder… after all you and Jessica have been through in the past… do you regret the way things ended?"

For a moment, Cody was a bit hesitant, unsure of how to answer the question. Eventually, he was able to form an answer in his mind. "I value the friendship that we have now," he answered. "Romantically, I think she's better off without me. She deserves better than what I can offer."

"I see. So then-"

Guy was cut off as a large gust of wind suddenly came passing by, causing the trees to sway violent and forcing the leaves to detach from the branches. As it did, a dark feeling suddenly came over Guy and he scanned the area for a moment. He then slowly stood himself up and tried looking around once again.

"Remembered something?" Cody asked.

Then, the gust of wind came again. This time, it was powerful enough to literally blow out the flames in the campfire.

"What the-hey!" Cody cried out. "I only had two s'mores since we sat down and I-"

"Shh!" Guy hushed him after raising his hand to his lips.

Cody looked up at him and saw the seriousness written on his face. The former Metro City hero then realized that Guy had sensed something…and it looked to be that it wasn't anything good.

"What's up?" Cody asked as he stood up.

Guy scanned the area once again before replying. "Something's here… a dark presence."

Cody looked around. Though he didn't see anything, he knew that Guy had a bit of a sixth sense, knowing when something or someone was lurking about nearby.

Guy happened to look to his left while Cody looked to his right. "Maybe it was just your-" Cody began to say.

"LOOK OUT!" Guy called out as he pushed Cody back, forcing him to fall back to the ground. Guy pulled himself a few feet back just as a red projectile shot out in between then. Cody looked on at the projectile, feeling stunned for a moment before getting up.

"What the hell was that?!" Cody called out. He then noticed that Guy was staring at something. He turned his head in the direction he was looking towards and became surprised by what he saw. It was a cyborg of black and red color with the exception of it's glowing white eyes. On it's back was a strange symbol and it's body was surrounded by a black aura.

"What the hell _is_ that?" Cody cried out, changing one word from his previous question.

Guy quickly got into his fighting stance. "Seems that someone discovered our location! Let's try to defeat him before it gets to the others."

Cody nodded as he picked up a handful of large rocks, now ready to fight. "Got it."

Quickly, the strange cyborg maneuvered himself forward, deciding to attack Cody first. Once he was close enough, Cody began performing a few kicks. The cyborg ended up blocking all of his attacks before slamming his elbow into Cody's face, forcing him to fly back a few feet before landing on the ground.

"Damn!" Cody yelled out as he felt his nose bleeding suddenly. He then looked up and saw that the cyborg was heading towards his friend. "Careful Guy, he's strong!"

Guy said nothing, but heeded Cody's words as the cyborg approached him. Guy immediately attacked with various punches and kicks, but was only finding himself on defense as the cyborg blocked his moves. Eventually, the cyborg managed to grab Guy by the throat before tossing him aside.

By then, Cody was back on his feet. "Take this!" he called out as he threw the rocks he was holding in his hand. The rocks flew in high speed towards the cyborg. However, before the rocks made contact, the machine quickly turned around and managed to block all of the rocks that came to him, forcing them to fly in different directions before landing on the ground.

"Damn," Cody muttered under his breath. He then decided to dash after the machine again, but before he could make an attack, the cyborg grabbed him by the shirt. He then turned halfway before letting go of Cody, who suddenly found himself flying in fast speed before crashing into a tree. Having been unconscious from the impact, his body ended up sliding back to the ground like a rag doll.

By then, Guy was back on his feet. He realized that his old friend had been knocked out. The Bushin ninja watched for a moment as the cyborg turned himself around to stare back at him.

Unless someone heard fighting from within the cave or were just arriving back from the palace, Guy knew that he was going to be on his own with this fight…

~~~

**Main Palace**

After a long day of active duty, Vega felt a bit of relief upon returning to his room for rest for the night. Upon closing the door and locking it, he took off the claw from his hand and walked further into the room before placing it on the nightstand. He then took off the porcelain mask from his face before placing it down next to the claw.

"About time this day ended," he said to himself, huffing a bit. Briefly, he brushed a strand of his long blond hair back, which was too short for the braid that went down his back behind him. "Now to finally get my rest for the night."

Before heading to bed however, Vega decided to take a quick shower first. He grabbed a clean towel from one of the shelves before entering his private bathroom. He then started up the shower, took of all of his clothes, then entered the shower.

Vega found himself under the shower for about a half hour, a bit longer than he intended to. Once he was done, he shut off the shower, stepped out, and dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist. Then he stepped out of the bathroom and back into the main room.

As he went to his suitcase and picked out his sleepwear for the night, he briefly thought back on his past, especially with Shadaloo. A year ago, everything ran as normal within the organization. It was seven years ago when he was recruited as one of the three 'Grand Masters' along with Sagat and another by the name of Balrog. Their leader Bison had discovered him during one of his infamous cage matches while living in Barcelona, Spain. His vicious form of fighting and his agility was what brought him to the criminal organization.

Since the fall of Shadaloo, he and Sagat were left to hide from nearly every police force and military in the world including the Air Force and Interpol. And whatever happened to the third Grand Master Balrog was a mystery to them. However, the two of them ceased to care.

Vega shook the thoughts out of his head once he picked his sleepwear for the night… a simple white t-shirt and long blue silk pants. He took a moment to get himself dressed and once he did, he was just about to toss the towel with the rest of the used ones when the door to his room opened.

The Spanish ninja looked up at the door, half expecting the person coming in to be Anna. However, it turned out to be Viper, who came into the room quietly, closing and locking the door behind her.

At that moment, Vega realized it's been quite a while since they've even been in the same room, ever since they joined up with Shao Kahn. He began to wonder… was it because of their constant assignments with the Emperor?

Or was it because he was finding himself more infatuated with Anna Williams?

The two stared at each other for a moment, both of them with blank expressions. Afterward, Viper turned away before heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

"Hmph," Vega hummed as he lied back on his bed. "Seems that I don't have as much use for you as I used to."

All was quiet in the room for a moment until he heard the shower going in the bathroom. Vega sighed with a boredom at a realization… he wasn't as attracted to Viper as he was just only a month ago.

 _Perhaps_ _,_ he began to think. _I could hand her over to Shao Kahn since he seems to have more use for her._ Then a sadistic smirk came over his lips. _If no one wants her… I just might as well kill her._

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

The long silence in Shao Kahn's throne room was disrupted upon the sounds of the main doors opening. Shao Kahn looked up from his throne and, as expect, he watched as Ivy Valentine entered his quarters.

"Good, you have arrived!" Shao Kahn called out.

Ivy began walking over towards the Emperor. "Sorry for the delay. I was… busy when Reptile came to my sleeping quarters."

"I see… I've called you over because I came to realize that I haven't spoken to you about any reporting for the day. After all, you had spent the majority of the day on watch duty."

Ivy shook her head a bit and she soon reached the edge of the Emperor's throne. "All was quiet during my shift." Then a playful smirk came over her face. "And besides… I would have gone to you as soon as I found anything interesting."

For a moment, all was quiet as Shao Kahn lifted an arm to rub his chin a bit, the only part of his face exposed from his helmet. Ivy stood there wondering if what she said just now made her sound a bit… stubborn.

Soon, Shao Kahn placed his arm down back at the throne's armrest. "About a month ago, when the tournament was just beginning, you arrived here offering your services to me. Never had I thought that you would become one of my most loyal servants I've ever worked with during my centuries as Emperor of Outworld."

Ivy tried not to frown upon hearing this, though in her heart she felt quite flattered by his words. She was loyal indeed, but with the close of the tournament coming, she knew that she wouldn't be here for very long. With the way things were going, it seemed that Shao Kahn was placing a lot of trust in her. If that was the case, it would be easier to get the medallion and make her escape back to Keisei.

And even if she never gets the medallion, she would still leave this world.

Then again, this was the first time in years that someone had said good things to her. Not only that, but those words had come from an Emperor ruling a single realm. To her, it made her feel honored.

Before she could reply to him, footsteps were heard from behind. Ivy turned around to look behind her and noticed Shang Tsung coming into the room. The two seemed to stare at each other for a moment before Shao Kahn spoke.

"You may go now Ivy," he said.

Ivy looked over at him and briefly bowed her head to him. "Very well." From there she took her leave.

Shang Tsung watched at the woman from Keisei made her departure, waiting for her to leave the room. Soon, the door closed and he turned to the Emperor.

"What is it, sorcerer?" Shao Kahn demanded in a bit of a harsh tone.

"I had just received your notice about the set up for Round Seven of the tournament between the four remaining participants," Shang Tsung replied. "And I'd like to know why the only two participants aligned with us are about to compete against each other tomorrow? Wouldn't it make sense for them to compete separately so that we have a better chance at retaining the medallion?"

Shao Kahn stared at Shang Tsung for a moment before answering. "That should've be obvious. If Ivy and Sheeva were in separate matches, there is the off chance that the both of them could lose Round Seven rather than both winning. It is better for only one of them to make it to the final round than none at all. If we have Ivy and Sheeva pit against each other, then we will have no worry about either of them not making it to the final round."

"I see now," Shang Tsung said. "Forgive me for not thinking through the logic behind your decision."

"Just take your leave," Shao Kahn suggested. "I should warn you however… I may end up questioning your intelligence if you ask one such as this again."

Shang Tsung clenched his teeth from underneath his closed lips, but other than that, he kept his anger in check. "Yes your Emperor." And with that, he took his leave. Upon exiting the room, a thought came to the sorcerer…

_We'll see who's the intelligent one at the end of this tournament._

~~~

**Near the Cave Grounds**

"Pretty good dinner tonight," said Maki. "Although the rice didn't seem well-cooked as it normally was."

Yang rubbed his neck a bit. "Tell me about it. I think I almost choked at one point."

The two were just one minute away from entering the cave grounds, noting the boulders that seemed to serve as entrance points. As they always did, the young couple held hands as they walked side by side.

"I hope Cody didn't eat all of the s'mores," Yang brought up. "I'm really looking forward to having something sweet."

"Me too, especially the chocolate," Maki agreed.

"And I've always-" Yang began to say. However, he was interrupted when an explosion from the cave grounds was suddenly heard. The two stopped for a moment and stared at each other in surprise, not expecting to hear that sound at a quiet time like this.

"I hope nobody dropped the Outworld liquor in the campfire again," Maki sighed.

From there, the two sprinted forward so that they could find out what was going on sooner. In their minds, they were expecting to enter the grounds to find a couple (or more) of their drunken friends topped over around the campfire. Soon, they entered the grounds, going in a couple of more yards before stopping. They were shocked by the sight before them and they only wished that their original idea of what happened was actually true.

Standing a few yards away from them was a red and black cyborg with glowing blue eyes. Maki gasped upon seeing the cyborg holding an unconscious Guy by his head, which was bleeding. Nearby, her other friend Cody laid next to a tree knocked out as well.

"GUY! CODY!" Maki cried out.

That got the mysterious cyborg's attention. For a moment, he stared at Maki before tossing Guy to the side. Then he began walking in her direction. By this point, the chosen ones who were there emerged outside, having head the explosion.

Instinctively, Yang stepped in front of her. "Maki! Get out of here!"

Maki took out her double batons, defying his wishes. "No, I'm not going to back down that easily!"

At that moment, the cyborg teleported towards them and he attempted to perform a punch, which both Yang and Maki dodged from. He then turned his attention back to Maki. Maki raised up her batons and the two exchanged blows for a moment before the cyborg overpowered her. He then grabbed her by her arm before swinging her over his head, flying a few yards away before landing back on the ground.

"You bastard!" Yang called out as he attempted a few inward swipes with his open palms. However, this didn't last very long before the cyborg broke through his offense and performed his own punches. The last punch sent Yang flying sideways and he was rendered unconscious.

Witnessing their brother's defeat, Yun and Yin jumped towards their new enemy at the same time. At the same time, the two of them jabbed their elbows at the cyborg in the face. Although he stumbled a bit by the surprise attack, their opponent didn't seem fazed otherwise. Yin then attempted to duck down and perform a rising kick with her leg out. However, this turned out to be a mistake as the cyborg grabbed a hold of her ankle.

Yun attempted to free his sister by performing a kick to his wrist. However, the cyborg grabbed his ankle as well. He lifted the both of them up, the two struggling as they were held upside down. Then, the cyborg threw them diagonally upward. He then raised his hand to attempt to shoot a projectile at them, but was distracted when Paul Phoenix jumped in and tackled the cyborg to the ground.

"Taste my Judo you scumbag!" Paul yelled out as he sat up. He then attempted to raise his fists, intending on punching the machine multiple times. However, just before he did, the cyborg punched Paul in the face before pushing him off, sending him flying back.

By that time, Kilik, Maxi, Mi-na, and Hwang surrounded the invader, all with their weapons out and ready to fight. In reply, the cyborg took out his pulse blade which glowed in a black color.

"Fancy weapon, but that won't get you anywhere," Maxi said, deciding to be the first to make a move. He lashed out his black nunchaku and the two exchanged attacks, finding themselves mostly on defense. Then, to Maxi's surprise, his nunchaku's were knocked from his hands and before he could comprehend his next objective, he was kicked in the stomach. He was forced to fly back, crashing into Mi-na in the process.

From there, Hwang and Kilik jumped in, swinging their respective weapons at their foe. The cyborg used his weapon to block Hwang's sword while ducking under Kilik's staff. Quickly, he placed a hand out, shooting out a red projectile at Kilik, knocking him back a few yards.

From there, Hwang was forced to fight the machine on his own… for a moment. They exchanged attacks and though Hwang was lucky enough to not lose his weapon, he couldn't avoid the cyborg sinking to the ground and appearing behind him as he performed an uppercut. The attack sent Hwang flying the air before landing back on the ground, rendering him out cold.

Cassandra attempted to attack next, knowing that her friends Sakura, Asuka, and Mika were right behind her. However, just as she raised her shield above her head, the cyborg quickly turned around and backhanded her, the forcing sending her flying back and crashing into all three of her friends.

At that point, a glow green arrow just barely missed the cyborg's face. He turned to the direction where the arrow had came from and spotted Nightwolf just a yard away. Quickly, the machine glided itself towards the shaman who managed to sidestep out of the way before delivering a kick to the back of the neck. The machine stumbled for a moment before turning back around to face Nightwolf. From there, the two exchanged some of their attacks before the cyborg once again received the upper hand. He left behind a few punches before performing a roundhouse kick, sending Nightwolf sideways and crashing into a tree.

Sonya decided to step up next. She ran over to where he was before jumping up to perform a flying kick. However, the cyborg managed to grab her by the ankle before tossing her aside.

By then, Ken was just a couple of feet away with his fist out upward. " _Shoryuken!_ " he called out as he jumped up and performed an uppercut. He managed to hit the cyborg right under the chin sending up flying up a few feet with him. Ken had expect his opponent to crash land to the floor as he himself landed on both of his feet safely. However, he was surprised to learn that the cyborg had caught himself after the impact, flipping backwards before landing on the ground with both feet.

"What?!" Ken cried out in surprise. Before he could move again, however, the cyborg took out a handful of shurikens and threw them at Ken in fast speed. The maneuver forced Ken to dodge from all of the small weapons before the last one cut his arm. Ken gritted his teeth as he felt the sharp pain in his arm, placing his hand over the now-bleeding cut. Then, the cyborg jumped forward, perform a few punches and kicks before he delivered a blow to the head, causing Ken to fly back a few feet, all the while losing consciousness.

Another caught the cyborg's attention as someone yelled, " _Sonic Boom!_ " He turned his head in the direction of the voice, only to see a yellow boomerang-like projectile shooting towards him. He was able to briefly see Guile behind the projectile and took the opportunity to teleport behind him.

"What the-" Guile began to say just before he felt a hard kick to his back. The force of the kick caused him to stumble forward a few feet, but he was able to regain himself, turning around to face the cyborg. Before the cyborg attempted to attack him, Wagner suddenly came from the left of the machine and tackled him to the floor.

"Wagner! Get out of the way!" Guile called out to him.

The two only struggled to overpower the other before the cyborg kneed Wagner hard in the abdomen before pushing him off. Wagner held his stomach in pain, and he could only watch as the cyborg stood over him. He lifted a leg above Wagner's head, ready to strike down.

Before he performed the blow, a sudden thin layer of ice came over the cyborg, causing him to freeze in place for a moment. Then, someone kicked him from behind, causing him to stumble forward. With that, Guile was able to see the new attacker…Sub-Zero.

The cyborg looked up at their new opponent. "It was about time you showed up," he said. "We were getting a little bored with our 'target practices.'"

Sub-Zero narrowed his eyes at the two fused fighters, knowing their true identities - Noob-Sektor. "Save it and fight." he growled as he got into his fighting stance.

Noob-Sektor stood up. "Very well."

Quickly, the two ran over to each other to engage in combat. For a while, they exchanged punches and kicks, aiming from different directions all the while switching between offense and defense. Eventually, however, Noob-Sektor were able to knock Sub-Zero to the ground and they quickly pressed down on his throat with their feet to prevent him from getting up. As they did, they brought out the black pulse blade and aimed it at the ice ninja's heart.

"Now," they said. "…Your death."

Before they could perform the fatal blow, a bolt of lightning shot out at them, hitting them in the chest. Immediately, they felt the circuits going haywire. Because of the new error, the two were forced to separate into their own forms. They then turned into the direction where the lightning came from and spotted Raiden, his eyes and hands filled with electricity.

"You didn't say anything about _him_ _!_ " Sektor yelled out to Noob Saibot.

Noob had spotted the Thunder God before while on a spying mission. However, he wasn't aware of the fact that he was part of this group and was most likely their leader. Now with their powers separated, he knew that the two couldn't fight the Thunder God individually, not without a plan.

Therefore, they had no choice but to escape and abandon their plan to kill Sub-Zero, Ashrah, and Matrik and retake Smoke.

"You win for now!" Noob called out. "But we shall return!" With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke with Sektor sinking himself into the ground and vanished.

Raiden sighed to himself. Half of his chosen ones here at the cave grounds were here (with the other half either still at dinner, including Rose, or training) and most of them hadn't even had the chance to fight Noob and Sektor. Those who did, however, seemed to have received a good beating due to their combined strength. The fighters who weren't knocked out cold were beginning to get themselves back on their feet.

"Raiden…" Sub-Zero said as he stood himself up. "I don't know how they found us-"

"It was only a matter of time before one of our enemies discovered us," Raiden replied. "This was a surprise attack and none of us were prepared. We'll be discussing what happened in the morning."

Sub-Zero nodded in agreement. "Very well."

For now, those standing or haven't had the chance to fight began to check up on those rendered unconscious from the battle.


	57. Chapter Fifty-Six

**_The Next Day_ **

**Cave Grounds**

It was nearly noon when Raiden and Rose gathered their chosen ones near the unlit campfire. Everyone who was there sat around in front of their leaders, all of them staying quiet. Every person knew what the meeting was about… the unexpected attack from Noob and Sektor. Thankfully, those who were involved in the attacks only received minor injuries containing cuts, bruises, and bumps, and all were able to attend the meeting.

After some time, Raiden decided to start the gathering. "I assume that all of you are aware of why this meeting is occurring. As you know, somehow we were discovered by two outsiders. They had attacked us while using some fusing power to form themselves into one, thus becoming more powerful than the average fighter."

Rose continued for him. "Most of you are probably wondering why these two attacked us." She then looked at Sub-Zero. "Thankfully, one of us will be able to answer that very question."

Sub-Zero nodded to her and stood up. He faced the large group as they awaited words from him. "I can assure you all right away that neither Noob or Sektor have any current connections to Shao Kahn. The two are working on their own. I believe that their reason for attacking us last night wasn't against you guys… but it was against myself, Ashrah, Matrik, and Smoke. Most likely, they were out to either capture the four or us or kill us and their attack on you only served to them as 'being in the way.'"

The ice ninja sighed, a cold mist exhaling passed his lips before proceeding. "I regret to say that I am responsible for them discovering us and I don't know if an apology is enough. I, along with Matrik and Ashrah, had paid the two a visit a combination of three times since we arrived here in Outworld. Our reason was to rescue Smoke, who is an old friend of mine and it's obvious that at some point one of them followed us here, most likely Noob."

Sub-Zero then looked over at Raiden and Rose who stood to his right. "Smoke, Ashrah, Matrik, and I had a talk about this. We decided that for ours, and everyone else's benefits, that the four of us will volunteer to act as protectors of the cave grounds for our remaining five days here. This way, we can be warned earlier for future invasions, especially now that we've been discovered. We feel that this is our way to redeem ourselves for our mistake."

"We thank you for that Sub-Zero," Raiden replied. "Rose and I had always been the ones to guard the cave grounds, but it would definitely be great to have further assistance."

From the group, Ken decided to speak up about one of his concerns. "There is something that's been bothering me. We're considered chosen ones, yet with the exception of Raiden and Sub-Zero, who held them off pretty well last night, the rest of us who tried to fight them when they were fused were taken down within two or three hits. If these two could take some of us down that easily, then how can we take on those working for the Emperor… or the Emperor himself?"

"What occurred last night was nothing more than all of us being caught by surprise," Raiden assured them. "Many of you were off the grounds along with Rose, and I had been on the opposite end of the grounds on watch duty when this occurred."

"I know those of you here weren't prepared for the unexpected attack," Rose said. "So please do not worry yourselves. Heaven forbid, if they do return again, we'll be more prepared for them next time."

At that moment, a pair of footsteps were heard behind the two leaders. Raiden and Rose turned their heads and were surprised to see two of their absent chosen ones returning… Raven and Nina. The two seemed to stagger a bit as they approached the group.

"You're back," Rose said with a warm smile. "Have you learned anything from your assignments?"

Raven and Nina turned their heads to face each other for a moment. Before they left their hiding area, they had both agreed not to mention the fact that they were imprisoned in a dungeon for a few days. They haven't learned anything directly from the fortress (aside from the fact that Shao Kahn really is occupying that particular fortress), but they have learned from the mysterious warrior Yoshimitsu.

They turned back to their two leaders and it was Nina who answered the questions. "We've learned much more than we bargained for. Just let us both rest for a bit and we'll tell you everything we've learned."

"Very well," Raiden said with a nod.

~~~

**Beach Area, Half Hour Later**

Sitting on towels, Mika, Asuka, Maki, Sakura, and Cassandra decided to spend a while relaxing the calm area of the beaches on the cave grounds. All five of them were in the same mood they have been in since last night… crummy.

"I knew I could've done much better with that fight last night," Cassandra sighed to herself as she looked up at the sky.

"Let's face it Cassie," spoke Asuka. "Even if the five of us fought those two together, they still would've kicked our butts... maybe even kill us if they had the chance."

Cassandra nodded a bit. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just disappointed in myself, really. I wanted to just see if I can take him on, but I've should've known better, considering that he was taking down some of the better fighters here."

"Let's try to forget about it," Mika suggested. "What's done is done and we know better now if they ever came back during the next five days."

"I hope not," said Sakura. "Well, now that we're changing the subject, I had a thought. We're only going to be here for another five days, right? What are we all going to do once we return home?"

"Well I have my plans with Yang," replied Maki. "We'll be visiting each other for a few months before we decide what to do."

Mika couldn't help but grin. "I'm going to be entering more wrestling and fighting competitions."

"I'm not surprised," said Asuka. "Well, I'll be starting college in the fall."

"Same here," spoke Sakura.

Cassandra shrugged a bit. "Back to my old life for me… working at the bakery in Keisei."

Her four friends stared at her for a moment. They have all spent so much time with each other since coming here in Outworld that they nearly forgot that Cassandra was the only one out of them who didn't live on Earth.

"Oh no!" cried out Mika. "When are we all going to see you again?"

Cassandra smiled. "Perhaps the next time Raiden and Rose need all of us."

"Makes me wish there was a way to write to you," said Sakura. "Unless we could relay our messages to Raiden and Rose."

"Nah, they really do have better things to do," Asuka mentioned. "It's more important to be concerned about the fate of mankind than anything else."

"Yeah," Cassandra agreed. "This will have to be goodbye once we all depart. But I'm sure we'll all meet up again someday."

"I sure hope so," said Mika.

From there, they continued chatting while looking on at the scenery before them.

~~~

**Main Palace Grounds**

Sitting on benches, Wolfman and McCoy mainly sat down quietly, watching the people that passed by them. Wolfman didn't show any sort of emotion while McCoy showed that he was bored out of his mind, leaning back on the bench with his eyes only half open.

"I think we've seen pretty much everyone we've talked to," McCoy sighed a bit.

Wolfman nodded a bit. "I think so too. But look at it this way…we have another five days here. So we only have to do this for another five days… then we return back to Earth for more assignments."

McCoy smirked. "Just what I look forward to mate." He then happened to look to his left when he spotted two familiar allies. "Hey. Captain Blade and Colonel Guile are coming over."

Wolfman turned in the direction McCoy was facing and spotted Sonya and Guile walking in their direction. The two British Delta Red members stood up from the bench and faced their American allies.

"Good afternoon," Guile greeted, nodding his head once to each of them.

"What brings you two here?" asked McCoy.

"Colonel Guile and I had a talk about our investigation," began Sonya. "Originally, we were all here in search of remaining members of both Shadaloo and the Black Dragon. It's been over a month since we arrived here and with only five days left of our time, we came to a decision."

Guile continued for her. "We no longer need to patrol the palace area. We believe that we've been here long enough to know that we're most likely not going to find anything. There were a few things that were found involving us being chosen ones, but it seems that Raiden and Rose have been on top of that since day one."

Wolfman sighed a bit after the explanation. "I assume we could call this a failed mission."

"Bummer," sighed McCoy. "Either we weren't looking hard enough or we were looking _too_ hard for nothing."

"Don't beat yourself over this," said Guile. "We did our best. All we can do is keep an eye out whenever we come out here for our meals for our remaining days here."

"True," agreed Wolfman. "And I'm sure our superiors will be all right with it mainly since no sort of damage has been done. Most likely we won't get any exciting assignments for a month or two, but it could be worse."

Sonya nodded before smirking a little. "Speaking of meals, do you guys want to get an early dinner?"

"Sure, why not," said McCoy. "And if we get hungry later, we'll roast some marshmallows."

"I think we're all out," mentioned Guile.

"Darn."

With that, the four of them began heading inside the palace for their early dinner.

~~~

**Cave**

All was quiet in the lounge room as Raiden and Rose sat silently at the table. The only movement in the room was the steam coming from the mugs on top of the table that contained tea that Rose had made for the both of them.

The reason for the both of them were in the room to begin with finally came as the curtain to the lounge opened. Both Nina and Raven stepped into the room, walking in further before sitting down in chairs.

"Good, you have arrived," said Raiden.

"Would you two like some tea?" Rose asked politely.

Nina shook her head a little. "I'm good."

"Same here," replied Raven.

Raiden nodded. "All right, now we just have to wait for-"

Before the Thunder God finished his sentence, the curtain to the lounge opened again. The four in the room turned their heads and noticed Jin Kazama coming into the room.

"Good, you're here Jin," Rose said. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you," Jin replied as he sat down in the last remaining empty chair.

Raven looked at Raiden. "I thought it was going to be the four of us."

"I know," Raiden answered. "But I felt that Jin should be here for this meeting. After all, he's the only one here still remaining in the tournament."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "We've definitely missed a lot since our departure."

Rose nodded. "All right… what have you two found?"

Raven decided to begin the story. "We… have spent a few days searching in and out of the fortress. Two nights ago, we discovered that someone else had infiltrated the fortress. His name was Yoshimitsu. While we were trying to discover any information in the fortress, Yoshimitsu was there for another reason… he was after the medallion."

Nina continued for him. "Before we were able to talk to him further, the guards had discovered us and we ended up having to fight our way out. We made it out fine, but we knew that the guards would be searching for us, so we hid out for a couple of nights. It was only then that we found out more than we intended to know."

"The fortress is indeed Shao Kahn's," continued Raven. "But Yoshimitsu had revealed to us that he was the last holder of the medallion. Even he doesn't understand the reason for the medallion's existence, but one thing was certain… it's cursed."

Nina proceeded. "Though Yoshimitsu was blessed with immortality, the medallion's power tried to take over him while he was in battle. It intended to do more to him, but he had freed himself from it's grasps before that happened. He and another named Ogre are the only living wielders. Ogre was lucky because he ended up losing the medallion just before Yoshimitsu found it."

"The Fighting God…" Raiden trailed a little. "I've heard the name before… more than once as a matter of fact. He had been banished from the Heavens for reasons the Elder Gods never revealed… but it seems that I've finally found that answer."

Jin spoke up then. "I'm not surprised. It's possible that Shao Kahn, or at least someone associated with him, knew the truth about the medallion. So they set up this tournament so that whoever wins has the curse placed upon them…"

"Thus becoming a powerful ally," Rose finished for him. She looked at Raven. "Did this Yoshimitsu say how long it took before the curse took place?"

"Two decades," Raven replied.

"I see… have you tried bringing him here? Perhaps he could be a potential chosen one."

"We've asked him to come with us," Raven answered. "But he prefers to go rogue on this mission. He only intends on destroying the medallion at any cost, so even though he's working alone, he'll still fight the same causes as we are."

Nina looked at Raiden. "Now what?"

Raiden sighed a little. "There's only one thing we can do… destroy the medallion. It's not just about having it fall into the right hands anymore." He then looked at Jin. "Let's hope that you can win the medallion. We'll have to at least warn whoever makes it to the final round about the medallion as well. I just hope it's not Sheeva… she's associate with Shao Kahn."

Rose sighed. "Just great."

As they continued talking, Jin kept silent. Thoughts passed through his mind upon learning the truth about _Chishio No Me_. To him… if Yoshimitsu was able to not have the attempted curse on him for two decades, then it wouldn't hurt him to have it for just a few minutes so that he could finally be rid of his devil gene.

It was his only reason to have the medallion anyway.

~~~

**Dining Quarters, Main Palace**

It was quite early for dinner, but it was something both Ryu and Julia didn't mind, especially since the quarters were mostly quiet as there were less people.

That had just sat down to eat their meals when Ryu spoke. "So… what exactly is it that you do in college."

Julia smirked as she nodded. "Mainly I'm an archeology major, but I'm also part of a big project to rejuvenate the forests. It was my idea to do such a thing. When I was younger, the tribe I'm a part of owned a piece of land and it was filled with so many trees. Now a days with our global ecosystem, our forests are threatened to become a desert. I felt that something had to be done, so I started the Forest Rejuvenation Project with a local lab so that we could find a way to restore the forests."

"Sounds like a big project," Ryu said with interest.

"It is," Julia nodded. "But ever since my second year of college, I've been working on the project daily and waiting for the day when the work on ecosystem restoration is complete.”

"I hope it all works out for you," Ryu said. "I'm fond of nature myself, so if this project does become a success, the ecosystem will definitely be improved."

"That's what I truly hope," Julia mentioned. As much as she loved talking about the project, she decided to change the subject. "So… you've mentioned that you've traveled a lot throughout your life."

"Ever since I was eighteen," Ryu answered. "I've mostly traveled around Asia and I would come to the United States whenever Ken sends an invite. My main reason for traveling is to become a great fighter. I've had some pretty good matches throughout these years."

"What do you consider your best match?" Julia asked.

Ryu thought through this for a moment before replying. "Concerning here in Outworld, my match with Jin was definitely a good one, despite losing. My matches with Ken throughout my life have been memorable as well." A sly smile came across his face. "It's hard to just pick one really."

"I know that feeling," Julia said. "So I'll ask you this… what was your most interesting match… the one that stands out amongst others?"

Ryu sighed a little. That sort of question definitely matched the one fight that has always stood out in his mind. He was hesitant for a moment before answering.

"His name's Sagat… a Muay Thai champion. I was attending a tournament in Thailand where he hailed from. We both had made it to the final round of the tournament and the match went on for quite sometime. At one point, he managed to knock me off my feet and he believed to have defeated me at that point. I remember thinking that I wasn't going to lose and I was very determined to win. It was strange… everything seemed to go black and before I knew it, I was back on my feet… but Sagat was down and rendered unconscious… and he had a bloody wound on his torso which has since left a noticeable scar on him."

Julia stayed quiet as she was unsure of what to say. However, she didn't have to say anything as Ryu continued. "I still don't understand what to think about that. It's been nearly a decade since that took place…" He then quickly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about it anymore. "Are you enjoying your dinner?"

The young woman blinked a couple of times as she didn't expect him to quickly move on to another topic. She looked down at her plate full of food and realized that she had only taken a couple of bites since they sat down. "Um… it's pretty good tonight, as it always is."

"That's good," Ryu said as he took a bite from his food.

A thought came to Julia and she couldn't help but to smirk. "Say… how about we go to the hot springs later tonight? Mainly with our rule to bring someone with us out of the cave grounds."

Ryu rubbed his neck a little. "Yeah, especially after last night… it's definitely good to be safe at this point. All right then, we'll go tonight."

From there, the couple continued to have their conversation while enjoying their meals.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

Interpol agent Chun Li stepped outside from the cave. It was still bright outside, but the position of the sun indicated that it wouldn't be long before it would set for the day. The moment she was outside, she stretched her arms out over her while yawning a bit.

 _I'm bored,_ she thought to herself.

Chun Li happened to look to her left when she noticed the campfire lit and Alex Walker sitting in front of it, most likely to keep warm. She decided to go up to her then, walking over to the campfire.

"How are you?" she asked as she sat down.

Alex turned her head to Chun Li. "All right… actually, I'm bored out of my mind."

Chun Li smiled a little as she looked at the fire in front of them. "Funny, so am I."

Alex laughed at the comment. "Seems like everyone else is off doing their own thing right now. Kenshi's out doing some training as he always does around this time."

"I see," Chun Li nodded. "Well let's see… Lei and Wagner are currently playing cards with Ken and Cody, Cammy, Lita, and Ginzu are finishing up some data work from our time here, and Sonya, Guile, Wolfman, and McCoy are at the main palace most likely having dinner. I would be playing cards right now, but they're playing poker and I have no idea how to play, and I didn't want to be a bother by watching."

An idea came to Alex. "Say, do you know if someone has an extra set of cards?"

Chun Li shook her head. "Apparently Ken was the only one who brought a set. If he knew that we were all going to be gathered together by Raiden and Rose he would've brought more over."

"Darn," Alex sighed. "I was hoping you and I can play War or something."

"I'd rather go on the internet right now," Chun Li laughed. "Heaven only knows how much email I've received since we've left."

"You're telling me," Alex agreed. "I came here at the last second, and my aunt has probably sent me countless emails by now asking me where the heck I am."

As the two continued to talk, Kenshi ended up arriving on the cave grounds and began heading over to the campfire once he realized that Alex was there. Neither woman knew this until Chun Li happened to turn to her left and saw him a few yards away.

Chun Li smiled at Alex. "Hey, Kenshi's coming. I'm going to head in right now and try to figure out what cook for dinner tonight."

"I'll see you later," Alex said.

Chun Li stood up and began heading back to the cave. "Later!" she called out.

Once the Interpol agent departed, Alex looked over at Kenshi. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied as he sat next to her.

"How was your training?" she asked him.

"Fine, just like it always is," the swordsman replied. "How about you?"

Alex shrugged a little. "I've been bored out of my mind since the meeting ended. Honestly, I'm about ready to return to Earth and I'm sure Special Forces will have a nice talk with me upon our return."

Kenshi was about to reply to her comment, but then stopped himself as a thought came to him... the thoughts of why he joined Special Forces to begin with. He debated in his mind whether or not to mentioned what he thought of to Alex or not. However, he knew that someone amongst Special Forces was going to figure it out sooner or later.

Alex tilted her head in his direction when she noticed how quiet he was suddenly. “What's on your mind?” she asked.

For a moment, she had expected him to simply say, 'it's nothing.' However, she realized quickly that wouldn't be the answer as he leaned back a little while taking a deep breath. "You remember when you asked me how I ended up with Special Forces?" Kenshi asked.

Alex stared at him for a moment. It has been a while since she asked that question, probably back during Round Three of the tournament. "Yeah?"

"Well," the swordsman began. "When Sonya and Jax approached me with their interest in recruiting me, I didn't exactly accept their offer right away. I was flattered that they admired my skills, but I felt that I had no need for Special Forces. But… the more we talked… the more I realized that there was a reason to join. It was for a… long-time personal matter and it had required for me to be here in Outworld. It was why I chose to be a free agent rather than a full-time agent."

Alex frowned a little upon hearing this, now knowing his reasons for being in Special Forces. That was with the exception of the mysterious 'personal-matter.' This was nothing more than a temporary alliance, obviously here to take care of something. And once he was done, he wasn't going to stick around for long.

The young woman sighed, unsure of her feelings on this. "How much longer do you think you'll be with Special Forces now that you've had your chance to be in Outworld?"

"I'm not sure," Kenshi answered. "But I feel that I'm almost complete with what I have to do here."

This slightly worried Alex a little upon hearing his reply. They've known each other for over a year, and thought they have only been in their romantic relationship for a short time, she had realized that she truly cared about him.

 _The way it seems, he could leave at any given moment,_ she thought.

Without saying anymore to him, Alex leaned forward to briefly kiss Kenshi, who returned the kiss before she pulled away to lean her head on his shoulder. In reply, Kenshi took a single arm and wrapped his arm around her.

"So…" Alex quietly said. "What's this personal-matter you mentioned?"

Kenshi frowned a bit as he thought about what happened all those years ago with the sorcerer Shang Tsung. "It's best that you didn't know," he said.

Alex kept silent then. In her mind, however, she knew that there was going to be another five days left before they returned to Earth. During those next few days, and any remaining days that followed (that is if Kenshi indeed decided to leave), she was going to try to enjoy whatever's left of her time with him.

~~~

**Inside The Cave**

The voice seemed distant to Cammy as she found herself beginning to wake up from her nap. Confusion ran over her mind for a minute trying to figure out exactly what the voice was saying. As soon as she began to open her eyes, she was finally able to make out her name being called. And this time, the voice sounded familiar.

Cammy smirked a little as she shifted on her back, having been lying on her side when she woke up. She was soon able to open her eyes fully and saw Jin sitting on her bed, looking down at her.

"Had a good nap?" he asked with a small smirk.

Cammy couldn't help but smirk as well. "Yeah… I think." She yawned a little as she remembered where Jin had gone to before her nap. "How was your meeting with Raiden and Rose?"

Jin sighed a little. "Quite interesting… to say the least."

The young blond sat herself up before asking, "Why is that?"

Jin was silent for a moment before he answered her. "Well… it turns out Raven and Nina found a lot of informative things about the medallion. I don't know how everyone else would feel about it, but I admit to not be surprise by the results."

"So what did you find out?"

"…The medallion isn't what it looks like. Yes, it does grant those all the power in the world…but at a price. It places a curse upon those who wield it. The last guy who had it was lucky to free himself… after twenty years of having that medallion with no problems."

Cammy felt mixed feelings from learning the truth. She always knew that there was something about that medallion, believing that having an artifact with all the power in the world was too good to be true. She wasn't completely surprised that there was something more than meets the eye, but not a curse.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"Plan A is hopes for me to win the tournament," Jin replied. "Plan B is being developed by Raiden and Rose. No matter what happens, we have to destroy it. It's too dangerous to exist."

Cammy frowned a bit as she was able to hear the disappointment in Jin's voice. She figured that he really wanted to win that medallion. He never told her his reasons for wanting it, but she figured that it had to be important.

After the silence lingered a bit, Cammy learned forward to embrace him. Jin wrapped his arms around her in reply, returning the embrace.

"Now that we know the truth," Cammy began. "What do you think will happen now?

"I don't know," Jin replied with a small sigh. "…but I get the small feeling that we'll be here a little longer than we anticipated."

"Anything to destroy the medallion I assume."

Silence followed.

~~~

**Main Palace Grounds**

"Man, I'm stuffed!" called out McCoy as he patted his stomach.

"I'm glad to hear the food was to your satisfaction," smiled Sonya.

"It's definitely better than some of the food we get during our travels," McCoy mentioned. “And MRE's for that matter.”

"I will admit, that's true," said Wolfman.

Along with Guile, the four of them began to emerge from the main palace and began making their way back to the cave grounds. Although they had gone for an early dinner, they ended up staying there much longer than expected, mostly talking about their past missions and their time here in Outworld.

"I definitely think that we've spent too much time here tonight," said Guile.

"It might've been a good thing," said McCoy. "Sometimes I need to get out. Being a big guy, it can get pretty cramped in that cave."

"I know that feeling," agreed Wolfman.

As the group continued to talk, Sonya happened to turn her head to her left. There was rarely anyone around the palace grounds to begin with. A woman sat at one of the stoned benches by herself. Sonya immediately noticed her blood red hair. Obviously, it was dyed, but she was just beginning to think how nice it looked.

Then something on the woman's right arm called the Captain's eyes. Sonya got a better look at it and she held her breath once she saw exactly what it was… a black tattoo… but it wasn't just any tattoo. It was a three part symbol, consisting of two similar dragons facing each other. In between the dragons was a short knife that matched the length of the two identical dragons.

Sonya knew this design all too well… it was the symbol of the Black Dragon.

By then, the red haired woman noticed Sonya as well and the two stared at each other for a moment. The three men Sonya was with hadn't noticed her stopping in her tracks and kept walking as they chatted. Sonya decided to take advantage of this and began walking towards the woman.

The red-hair stranger smirked once Sonya was a yard away. She stood up. "So… you're Sonya Blade."

Sonya stopped for a moment. During that time, she placed her hand over her gun which rested next to her hip… just in case. "Seems you know my name."

"Who hasn't?" the woman continued. "You were famous for taking down most of the old members, including Kano. I assume you're looking for… other members as well."

Sonya narrowed her eyes at her. "Have they reformed?"

"Yes and no," the woman said proudly. "We did reform, but we just disbanded… quite recently. I noticed you looking at my tattoo. Lucky for you, from this day forward, the Black Dragon no longer exist. You can say I'm pretty much the last remaining one."

"That still doesn't make up for all the crimes you've committed…" Then Sonya smirked. "Kira."

Kira looked at her with surprise. "How did you know me?"

Sonya smiled more. "I've seen your picture on the FBI list. I thought you looked familiar when I saw you."

Kira smirked. "Ah yes, of course. So what do you plan to do now… kill me, or arrest me?"

Before Sonya could answer, she heard her name being called. She turned around and saw that Guile, Wolfman, and McCoy realized that she was behind.

"I'll be there in a-" Sonya began to call out. However, as soon as she turned her head, Kira was suddenly gone.

"Damn!" she yelled as she pulled out her gun. She quickly scanned the area, but to her dismay, Kira was gone. For her to take her eyes off of her for just a few seconds, Kira was indeed quick and wherever she was now, she was definitely hiding in a good spot.

By then, the three guys, all with guns out as well, caught up with the blonde agent. "Who was that?" McCoy asked her.

Sonya sighed. "Seems like I've asked you guys to halt your duties too soon. Let's keep looking for her. I'll explain everything when we return to the cave."

"Right," Guile said as the four began searching the area.

The longer the four searched, the more Sonya realized that she had lost track of Kira… for now. She made a vow to herself… the next time they would meet, she would personally arrest Kira…

…and she was going to do it before they leave Outworld.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"Ivy Valentine!" Shang Tsung called out, beginning the only match to take place for the day. The young woman stepped into the ring silently, holding her whip sword in her hand. Here she was at Round Seven of The Blood Tournament. In her mind, she knew that she would make it far into the tournament, but she had never expected to make it _this_ far.

At this point, she hoped to at least make it to the final round. It would be quite disappointing for her to not make it by one step.

Soon, she reached the middle of the ring. Silence lingered in the air before Shang Tsung called out her opponent's name.

"Sheeva!"

Immediately, Ivy felt a bit of rumbling beneath her feet. She was already aware of who Sheeva was and what she was capable of. The Shokan had already proved her superiority in the tournament and now Ivy may find out how truly power Sheeva is.

Moments after being called, Sheeva stepped into the ring. She walked herself over to the middle and stopped just a foot away from Ivy. The two stared at each other despite their obvious height difference.

"I see we'll be face each other today," said Sheeva. "Servants of Shao Kahn in a battle to decide who is worthy of being in the final round of the tournament." The Shokan noted Ivy's blade and took our four long Shokan blades, one in each hand. In reply, Ivy got herself in her fighting stance, never taking her eyes off of Sheeva.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out once he noted that the two were ready.

Neither of them waited another moment as their lashed their weapons out, stepping forward to begin their attacks. Their weapons quickly clashed and from there, their match officially began.

For a while, the two exchanged their weapon attacks, both switching between offense and defense in hopes of dominating the other. Eventually though, Sheeva managed to knock her opponent's sword out of her hand, much to Ivy's surprise.

Quickly, Sheeva lifted up a foot and kicked Ivy in the face. The force of the kick was hard enough to send Ivy spinning a few times before landing on the ground. At that point, Sheeva jumped up in order to stomp on her, but Ivy managed to move out of the way before she could land on her.

At that point, Ivy realized that she was near her own sword. She attempted to grab her weapon, but Sheeva managed to lift her up before she could do so. Sheeva held her with her lower arms. Once she positioned her, Sheeva used her upper hands to land a few powerful punches on Ivy's face and stomach before tossing her aside.

After landing, Ivy found herself gasping for air. As she did, she noticed Sheeva coming towards her again. She noticed that she was a few feet away from her sword. Deciding to take the opportunity, Ivy rolled a few feet and managed to successfully grab the hilt of her sword. She then managed to get back on her knees while still catching her breath.

Ivy waited until Sheeva was close enough. Once she was, Ivy lashed out her now-uncoiled sword, swinging it around randomly at the female Shokan. Sheeva quickly back away, although the first couple of swings managed to hit her, leaving behind some cuts on her upper arms and just below her neck. Sheeva gritted her teeth upon feeling the stings from the sword.

Finally catching her breath, Ivy managed to stand herself up. Quickly, she attempted to extend her sword at Sheeva's head, but the Shokan managed to sidestep away before she was hit. Ivy then pulled her sword back for a second before extending it again, spinning her sword in circles. Sheeva was only hit once this time as she managed to back up before being hit again.

After recovering from the attack, Sheeva quickly shot out a single projectile from her hands. Ivy sidestepped out of the way before she was hit. After moving, she stared at Sheeva. "I've seen that move before! Don't you have anything better than that pathetic move?"

A sly smirk appeared on Sheeva's face. As a reply to Ivy's comment, she brought her four arms out before pushing them out. This time, _four_ projectiles emerged, one from each hand. Ivy's eyes widened in surprised before she used her sword to deflect the energy balls from her path…that was with the exception of the last one. That projectile managed to hit her in the abdomen and knock her to the floor.

As Sheeva ran over to her again, Ivy rolled back before getting herself back on her feet. Once the Shokan was close enough again, Ivy quickly got herself behind her before jumping on her shoulders. She attempted to wrap her sword around Sheeva's neck. However, Sheeva managed to grab her head with her upper hands and throw her over her shoulder.

Once again, Ivy found herself on the ground. She was starting the pain coursing through her body as she was developing bruises from Sheeva's attacks. Briefly, she thought back on her thoughts from the aftermath of Round Six of the tournament. She had hoped for a good challenge for the next round.

That little hope ended up coming true after all.

"How does it feel to be under my wrath?!" Sheeva called out.

By this point, Ivy was struggling to get herself back on her feet. Sheeva watched in amusement as she watched her opponent struggling to get up. To her, she had already won the match.

 _I won't…lose!_ Ivy cried out in her mind as she eyed Sheeva. _Not while I'm this close to the final round of the tournament…_

Quickly, she lashed out her sword again. She spun it low to the ground, creating fire waves around the sword. She then jumped forward in fast speed before lashing her sword. Sheeva tried to step back, but the sword had managed to stretch itself out and leave a cut on her upper chest.

Sheeva took a moment to recover from the attack before she began running towards her opponent. However, Ivy was prepared for her next attack. She waited until Sheeva was close enough. Once she was a few feet away, Ivy performed a powerful uppercut with her sword, sending Sheeva in the air. Then, Ivy quickly extended her sword and had it wrap around both of Sheeva's ankles. Despite the Shokan's more heavier weight compared to hers, Ivy was able to pull her down with fast speed, forcing Sheeva to crashing into the ground on her back. With the force of the impact, Sheeva was rendered unconscious.

After a few moments, Shang Tsung, a bit amazed that Ivy was able to defeat Sheeva, stood up. "Winner: Ivy Valentine, and one of two participants to enter the final round of the tournament!"

The audience watching clapped in unison. Ivy didn't pay much attention as she realized the pain she was feeling before was really settling in. She ended up collapsing on her knees from exhaustion. Even so, she couldn't help but smirk. Indeed Sheeva was a challenge, but it was worth it. After all, she became the first of two tournament participants to make it to the final round. She was now one step away from retrieving the medallion.

Now one mystery remained… the two remaining contestants, Siegfried and Jin, had their match tomorrow. Ivy wondered which was one was going to face her in the final round.


	58. Chapter Fifty-Seven

**_Later That Evening_ **

**Cave**

In his room, Ken Masters let out a long sigh as he stared at the deck of cards that were in his hands. "So… do you want to play Poker again?"

In the room with him, Lei, Wagner, and Yun all sighed at once. "We've played that more than once already," replied Yun. "Um… slapjack?"

"We've played that a lot already," mentioned Wagner. "Um… Go Fish?"

"I'm really sick of Go Fish," said Lei. "Bullshit?"

"Done many of those too," Ken muttered.

Lei leaned back. "Let's face it… we've played every card game known to man… except Uno… but we don't have any Uno cards."

"Wouldn't hurt to try," said Yun.

"Nah, I'm not a fan anyway," mentioned Ken. "Honestly, I would've brought more to do if I've known we were going to be in Outworld for _this_ long… or be a Chosen One for that matter."

Lei stretched himself out as he got on his feet. "Well since we're not playing anymore cards, I'm going to see what Chun Li is up to."

"All right," said Ken.

"I'm getting hungry," mentioned Yun. "I think I'll go to the palace and have dinner."

"And I think I'll go outside for some fresh air," replied Wagner.

"Have fun then," Ken said as the three guys began leaving the room. Unknown to him, Cassandra happened to witness the three guys emerging from their rooms, seeing the bored look on their faces. Once they were out of the room, she decided to take a quick peek in the room and saw Ken stretch himself out while still sitting on the floor.

"Can't wait to leave Outworld?" she asked him.

Ken blinked a couple of times before looking up at Cassandra. "It's not just about getting out of here really," he began saying as she sat down in front of him. "Life in Outworld is starting to get quite boring. Indeed I'm about ready to go back to Earth and I look forward to seeing my family again."

"So am I," Cassandra answered. "Well… if it makes you happy, I'm bored myself."

Ken smirked. "Do you want to play cards?"

A perplexed look came over Cassandra's face. "Never played cards before."

That's when Ken remembered… she wasn't from Earth. "All right then." He raised his cards so that she had a better look. "This is a deck of playing cards. All decks contain fifty-two cards, half of them black and half of them red. They go from numbers 2 to 10 and also contain Jacks, Queens, and Kings along with Aces and two cards contains The Joker. If you split the card into four quarters, you will notice that each split contains four different suits, that being the pictures on the card."

Ken picked up a random card and pointed at the picture on the card. "This symbol, as you know, is a heart. We also have Diamonds, spades which look like upside down hearts with a stem, and Clubs which looks like a three-leaf clover. There are actually various different ways to play with cards. I think we should play War, it's a great game for beginners."

He the began shuffling the cards. "Basically, we put a single card down and whoever has the highest number gets both cards. The order of lowest to highest would be Ace, two through ten, Jack, Queen, King, and The Joker. Whoever has the highest amount of cards at the end wins."

"Sounds easy enough," Cassandra said.

At that moment, Paul Phoenix happened to peak his head from around the curtain, having heard Ken teach Cassandra how to play War. "Playing cards? Can I join?"

Ken shrugged. "Why the heck not?"

"Sweet," Paul said as he entered the room. "I was beginning to get bored around here."

"Tell me about it," Ken agreed.

"You can say that again," Cassandra seconded.

From there, the three began their evening of card games.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

Emerging from the cave entrance, Sub-Zero scanned the area for a moment. It didn't take him long before he was able to spot Ashrah, who was scouting the area not too far from the entrance. The ice ninja began to approach her. When he was a few feet away, Ashrah noticed his approach.

"Has it already been six hours?" she asked him.

"It has," Sub-Zero replied. "I assume your guard duty went fast for you?"

"Sort of," Ashrah said as she looked around the area briefly. "I'll admit… even with the lack of activities tonight, I still feel good about our new duty to guard the cave grounds." She then sighed a bit upon thinking of the events that occurred with Noob and Sektor twenty-four hours ago. "I still feel awful about not being there. I had been at the hot springs when they came-"

"Don't worry about it," Sub-Zero assured her. "As Raiden had said, it was a surprise attack and none of us had suspected it. They simply came after _us_ , not the other chosen ones."

"Which leads me to the question that's be lingering in my mind since last night," Ashrah began to say. "We know that the two had the intention of taking Smoke back. And you had mentioned that when they attacked you, they obviously had the intention of killing you as well."

Sub-Zero sighed a little. To him, it wasn't just the fact that their foes were out to get Smoke… but also the fact that it so happened to be that Noob was his brother…and perhaps he wanted to kill him to prove that he was the better of the two.

"Perhaps it's because I was the one who reprogrammed Smoke," he half lied, only leaving the brother detail out.

"Perhaps," Ashrah agreed. "Ready for guard duty?"

"Guess so," Sub-Zero said. From there, he began scouting the cave grounds as Ashrah returned to the cave to rest for the night.

~~~

**Main Palace**

Arriving at the main palace, Yun mainly came here for dinner. The last thing he had to eat was a small snack from this afternoon. It was nearly eight o'clock in the evening and he found himself starving. Despite the cave grounds rules of not leaving the premises without something with you, Yun went on by himself. Besides, he was in a pretty safe area anyway.

It wasn't the only reason he came to dinner around this time. He was also in hopes of finding Anna Williams, the woman he had been crushing on ever since he faced her during the second round of the tournament. The both of them had met up four times since after that day, spending nights that Yun was sure to never forget.

Besides… he wanted to see Anna at least one more time before he departed to his home world in five days.

For a half hour, he went to the dining quarters to have dinner. Since it was a bit late in the evening, rarely anyone was there, which was good for him. To him, he would be able to eat peacefully… and it would be easier for him to spot Anna if she happened to come to the dining quarters.

After finishing his meal, Yun put the dirty dishes away before making his way out of the dining quarters. _Guess tonight's not the night_ _,_ he thought.

Just before he was to exit the main palace, he saw a red color from the corner of his eye. Yun turned his head to get a better too and, to his luck, there was Anna walking towards the stairs. Yun decided to go over to her before he lost sight of her.

"Anna!" he called out to her.

Anna turned around to the voice after hearing her name being called. A few yards away, she spotted Yun coming over to her.

 _Ah, him again,_ she thought to herself as she smiled at him. "I haven't seen you in quite some time," she said once he was close enough.

Yun shrugged in reply. "Well… I've kind of been busy."

Anna stared at him with her blue eyes seductively. "I see… busy doing what?"

Yun couldn't help but to smirk. "Just some stuff. Nothing special."

"Are you doing anything tonight?"

The smirk on Yun's face became wider. "Actually I'm not. Do you want to get dessert or something?"

"Actually," Anna began to answer. "I'm kind of expecting company… in the morning. So rather than get dessert, let's go upstairs to my room. I think that's a much better idea."

"Plus it saves us time," Yun added.

Anna chuckled a little. "Yes, it does indeed." She then took his head. "Let's head up."

Unsure of what else to say, Yun began heading up the stairs with Anna.

~~~

**Forest**

Training just between the forest and the cave grounds, Jin Kazama was preparing himself for tomorrow's match. He first warmed up by performing some katas, keeping his mind and body focused. Afterward, he pretended to have an opponent in front of him and began practicing his fighting moves.

Unlike the other six matches he had, Jin was now fully aware of what he was up against. The man he was to face tomorrow in the Courtyard was named Siegfried. The young man was told that he was a very good fighter who had even took down a man three times his size during one of the earlier matches in the tournament. Jin knew that Siegfried was definitely going be a good challenge and he would do everything to prepare for tomorrow.

After his talk with Cammy earlier, the two of them went to the match between Ivy and Sheeva in order to see which one of the two was going to make it to the final round. Jin had thought that Sheeva would emerge the victor, but it would seem that Ivy was able to overcome her obstacle, earning her place in round eight.

 _Seems that I have two challenges ahead of me_ _,_ he thought. _…That is, of course, if I make it to the final round._

Jin continued training, trying to keep his mind clear of any other thoughts. Unknown to him, Sakura was passing through the area when she noticed Jin nearby. For a moment, she watched him as he trained himself. That was until he opened his eyes and noticed her a few yards away.

Sakura smiled once she realized that he saw her. "Preparing for tomorrow?" she called out.

Jin straightened his body. "Yeah," he replied. "What are you doing out this late?"

Sakura chuckled a little. "It's not _that_ late! It's only nine o'clock in the evening."

"Oh yeah," Jin sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been training most of the evening that I've lost track of time."

"Ah," Sakura said. She then stared at him with a bit of seriousness. "Say… how do you feel about this whole thing?"

"What do you mean?" Jin asked not understanding the question.

"Well," Sakura began to say. "You have a match tomorrow that will determine whether or not you make it to the final round of the tournament. Plus, you're the only one out of all of us chosen ones, so…"

"It does sound overwhelming," Jin answered. "But I try not to dwell on it. I just have to train and focus on the fight itself and everything will hopefully work out fine."

"I see," Sakura said.

Then an idea came to Jin. "What are you up to right now?"

Sakura shrugged. "I was thinking about going to bed, but I don't feel so tired."

"I see," Jin said. "Do you want to spar?"

A big smile came over Sakura's face. "Sure! I'm always open for a sparring match." She then got into a fighting stance. "Plus it'll be good for tomorrow's match."

"I bet it will," Jin said as he got into his once stance.

Soon the two of them spent some time sparring.

~~~

**Beach Area**

The sun had long set behind the mountains of Outworld, which was replaced by the bright moon above in the dark blue sky. The light of the moon glittered against the water.

There, Wagner was on his feet, throwing small rocks at the water. Throwing them sideways, the rocks would reach the water and bounce off a few times before finally sinking underneath the surface.

The beach was mostly quiet with Wagner being the only occupant, which was something he didn't mind at the moment. With the number of occupants at the cave, it was hard to get some time by himself, let alone any quiet time.

He wasn't sure how long he had been there by the time Sonya showed up. She had the same idea of coming to the beach to have some time by herself, not knowing that someone would be there. In a way, however, she was glad that it was Wagner who was there.

"Hey there," she called out.

Sonya's voice caught Wagner's attention and he turned to look at her. "Hey. What brings you here?"

The blonde woman shrugged a little. "Nothing really. Just thought I'd get some fresh air."

"I had the same idea when I came out here," Wagner mentioned. As he spoke, he noticed the slightly frustrated look on Sonya's face. "Hey, is something the matter?" he asked with concern.

Sonya sighed a little. "At this point, I pretty much just want to go back to Earth." She then looked at him seriously. "It's weird… today, I told Delta Red to stand down from their duty at the palace this afternoon… and not long after, we discovered that the Black Dragon really were here. We only found one member, but it turns out that they have been disbanded recently. I tried catching her, but she ended up escaping."

"Hey," Wagner began to say. "Don't worry about it right now. I'm sure that you'll end up finding her again, perhaps maybe even before you leave."

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Sonya said.

Wagner sighed a little. "Well at least we found something, even if we don't have the right evidence."

Sonya shrugged a little. "Well… that's true."

In her last statement, Wagner was able to hear the frustration in her voice. He couldn't help but give out a warm smile. "Do you need a hug?" he asked her.

"Well…" Sonya began to say. "I actually… need more than a hug right about now."

"Bummer," Wagner replied. "A hug is always-"

Suddenly, Sonya quickly placed her hands on either side of Wagner's cheek. Just as fast then, she quickly leaned her head in and roughly kissed him, which was easy for her considering that they were nearly the same height. For a moment, Wagner's eyes were wide open, extremely surprised by Sonya's sudden advance.

 _So,_ he thought to himself. _I assume she's_ THAT _frustrated!_

Wagner began to realize how she was feeling though. For one thing, their assignments, with the exception of some discoveries about the medallion, have been nothing more than dead ends, including his search for his sister. There was also hardly anything to do in their large amount of spare time. And then there was their friends, who already either had a significant other or had recently paired up with another in the cave.

Indeed the whole deal was… well… frustrating.

Soon, Wagner closed his eyes and returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around Sonya's waist. For a moment, the two were able to stay on their feet while exchange rough kisses, their heavy breathing being heard around the area. Eventually, however, the two of them ended up falling on their sides into the sand.

From there, one thing lead to another and soon they were doing more than they had intended to.

~~~

**Outdoor Hot Springs**

Emerging from the women's hot springs, Julia looked around the area that surrounded her. With the exception of some unknown noises in the far distance, all was mostly quiet.

When Julia came out, she had hoped to see Ryu here waiting for her. However, there was no one there and she sighed to herself once she realized this.

 _Either I came out of the springs too soon or Ryu is taking his sweet time_ _,_ she thought.

Julia decided that the best thing to do right now is go to the men's springs and wait for Ryu there. She followed the trail down to the main trail before entering the one that lead to the men's springs. She soon reached the main entrance and sat down. Afterward, Julia looked around the forest area. As she did, she suddenly realized how eerie it felt tonight, even with the bright moon giving out some light.

 _Well if anything happens at least I'm close enough to where Ryu can hear me scream bloody murder,_ Julia thought.

Julia wasn't sure how long she waited… perhaps five minutes, before she heard footsteps. She listened in to determine where it was coming from. Soon, however, she realized that it was coming from the trail and it seemed to be coming in this direction.

 _Looks like someone's coming,_ she thought.

Soon, Julia noticed the very tall shadow coming towards the springs. She raised an eyebrow trying to figure out who it was. Then, the shadow stopped just underneath the light of the moon. Julia got a better look at the man and saw that he was very muscular with a shaven head and a black eye patch which covered his right eye. On his torso was a long scar that was healed but still noticeable.

Julia couldn't figure out why, but she suddenly found herself frozen where she sat. She then tried to speak, but somehow she couldn't form any words.

 _What is wrong with me?!_ she thought.

However, the man ended up speaking. "Are you Julia Chang?"

Suddenly, Julia felt relaxed, though a little perplexed over the fact that this strange man knew her name. Nevertheless she got herself to stand on her feet.

"Um, yes, that's me," she replied.

"My name is Sagat," he introduced himself.

The name immediately rang a bell. This was the man Ryu fought all those years ago, the man who wanted to challenge him again. The scar alone should've been a dead giveaway, but Julia hadn't made the connection until he said his name.

Before she could speak, Sagat continued. "I was the one who sent you the letter concerning your mother."

Julia stared up at him as hope began to gleam in her eyes. This was the very reason why she came to Outworld in the first place. "So… you know what happened to my mother."

"Yes," Sagat answered. "First, before I explain everything, I'll get one thing to the point… unfortunately, your mother was killed over a year ago."

A grim look came over Julia's face and she felt as though she was just stabbed in the heart. Although she was prepared for such an answer as this, she was still feeling the sorrow and pain just like any other person who lost a loved one.

Despite her throat feeling tight, Julia managed to ask one question. "What happened?"

Sagat took a deep breath before proceeding. "She was captured by Shadaloo, an organization I used to be a part of, and brainwashed into an assassin. Michelle had arrived in Japan some two years ago. She was being driven by a limo that was owned by the Mishima Zaibatsu when Shadaloo elites captured her. As a matter of fact, she was mistaken for you. Because of your fighting abilities, you were intended to be captured and brainwashed into an assassin…"

Julia kept silent as Sagat continued. "Yes, we've captured the wrong person, but it turned out that Michelle was useful. She became an assassin… against her own will… and went on assignments to assassinate our enemies. Michelle was one of the best in Shadaloo and she never failed a mission… save for one… the one that killed her."

Sagat took another deep breath before proceeding. "She was fighting the person she was supposed to assassinate in Cambodia. The person, however, ended up knocking her off a cliff in self defense… the fall had killed her."

For a while, there was silence between the two as Julia tried to get all the information sorted in her mind. She felt a couple of tears fall down her face, but she quickly wiped them away with her hand.

"Tell me one thing," she managed to say. "…Who was the target that killed her?"

Sagat was silent as a grave, not answering the question right away. Julia wondered if the silence was telling her that he wasn't sure… or perhaps _he_ was the one who killed her. Before she could speak, Sagat opened his mouth and a name came out…

"…Ryu."

~~~

**Cave**

"So," Rose began to say as she looked down at her hands which was placed on the table in front of her. "Did you ever believe that the medallion brought a curse?"

Raiden sighed a little as he paced himself around the lounge room. "The only thing that I was able to indicate that it would be considered an 'evil' artifact if it was handled by those with wicked deeds. It was the whole reason you and I got together with the chosen ones… to make sure that doesn't happen. Now that we know the truth, it's just as bad for even us to have the medallion."

"When do you want to inform the others?" Rose asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Raiden replied. "Mainly since they had a meeting about last night's incident this afternoon so we'll give meetings a rest for the remainder of the night." He then rubbed his chin a little as a thought came to him. "There is one thing that bothers me…"

"And what is that?" Rose asked curiously.

"…I wonder if the Elder Gods knew of the truth. Their main job is to make sure that life exists and even they would've known about something such as this."

"Perhaps it might not be a big concern," Rose suggested. "It seems that the medallion would only leave a curse on just one person. If they are more concerned about the existence of life, then they would only interfere if the person holding the medallion uses it to wipe out the entire universe."

Raiden only nodded as he thought about what happened when he tried to warn the Elder Gods about the medallion being found by Quan Chi. They had told him not to interfere, but the Thunder God had defied their wishes. This was about the only tidbit he never told Rose at this point.

Quickly, Rose stood up as she suddenly felt a bit uneasy by the thoughts of the medallion. She then began pacing around the room just as Raiden was. "I just wished that I was able to find a way to know that the medallion was actually a dangerous artifact! After all, I am a psychic and ever since I came here, I've been having a blockage while trying to find out the important stuff."

"I know what you-" Raiden began to say.

Suddenly, Rose pointed her finger at Raiden with frustration. "What about you?!" she cried out. "What have you done to try to stop this?!"

Raiden was surprised by her out lash. "Before you start blaming me for anything, you need to think clearly and not start venting out at me for no reason! You know I've been doing all I can to help with our cause. After all, if it wasn't for me, only half of us would be here right now!"

"I can vent all I want!" Rose yelled. "You know fully well how frustrated I am about my psychic block!"

"You never even mentioned it!" Raiden replied. "But then again, you've been frustrated since day one!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you have! Whenever the chance came you, you blame me for everything that goes wrong!"

"And you make every immature joke in the book!" Rose reminded him.

"That's because you've asked for it!" Raiden yelled.

Rose quickly placed her hands on her hips. "Oh like that's an excuse!"

"And you have no excuse for taking out your frustration at me!"

From there, the two were yelling to the point where nothing could be understood. They screamed back and forth until they were practically blue in the face and out of breath. As they caught their breath, they stared at each other as though they were staring daggers.

…Suddenly, at the same time and without thinking about it, the Thunder God and the Soul Psychic quickly embraced and began to lip lock roughly. For a while, their heavy breathing was heard around the room, neither of them thinking clearly as they shared their fit of passion. After a while, quick thoughts came to their mind.

 _Maybe I have been a bit more… frustrated than I thought,_ Rose thought.

 _I knew she had been frustrated!_ Raiden thought a bit amused.

Eventually, Rose grabbed Raiden's shirt and began to drag him out of the lounge room. Raiden quickly broke the kiss for a moment.

"Where are we-" he began to say.

"My room," Rose said. "Now shut up!"

 _Whatever you say_ _,_ Raiden thought with a smirk as the two got out of the lounge room and went straight into Rose's room… where they stayed for the remainder of the night.

~~~

**Beach Area**

"So… was it good for you?" Sonya asked with a small chuckle.

Wagner laughed a little. "Of course… and I'm not lying either."

"You better not," Sonya laughed. "You don't want to end up with a bloody nose do you?'"

"Definitely not."

As they talked, the two looked up at the dark sky as they lied back next to each other on the sands of the Outworld beach. Just a while ago, the two of them shared more than they expected and have since gotten themselves dressed. They felt more relaxed than they ever had in a while.

"I must say though," Wagner began to say. "We definitely needed it with our time here in Outworld."

"Oh yeah," Sonya agreed.

The two of them were silent for a moment as they continued to look up at the sky above. That was until Wagner began to chuckle uncontrollably. Sonya looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

Wagner chuckled a bit more before he was able to stop to reply. "Guile is so going to kill us."

Sonya laughed again. "Who says he has to know?"

"I know, but the thought of him finding out is just hilarious… the look on his face and everything."

They were quiet again, which lasted a shorter time. Sonya turned her head to Wagner as a big grin came over her face. "So… what do you want to do now?"

A grin also came over Wagner's face as he turned his head to Sonya. "…Go for another round?"

Sonya laughed a little. "Maybe… but actual, I think I'm about ready for bed."

"Oh phooey," Wagner said jokingly. "All right, let's head back in then."

From there, the two of them got themselves back on their feet before they began making their return back to the cave.

~~~

**Outdoor Hot Springs**

_It… no… it can't be true!_ Julia cried out in her mind.

It was already bad enough to hear a confirmation of her mother's death…and it was already bad enough that a few months before, she was a brainwashed assassin of Shadaloo. Now she's hearing that the man who Michelle had targeted to kill over a year ago… the one responsible for knocking her off a cliff to her death… was none other than the one man she had grown to deeply care for since coming to Outworld… Ryu.

Sagat stood there, knowing the damage that he had done by telling Julia all of this. He had remembered seeing her with Ryu a few weeks ago and knew that telling her the news was going to be more complicated than it already will be… but he knew that he had to do it… she deserved to know the truth even if did hurt.

"I can only offer my condolences," Sagat said as Julia tried to control the tears in her eyes.

That was the moment when Ryu came out of the men's hot springs. At first, Ryu only noticed Julia and he began coming up to her. Julia was able to hear his footsteps behind him, but didn't bother to turn around.

"Hey Julia, ready to-" Ryu began to say. That's when he realized that there was another presence nearby. He turned his head and was quite surprised to see Sagat there. Quickly, he stepped forward. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Sagat folded his arms before replying. "Giving Julia the answers she has been looking for."

"…You mean-"

"Yes… I was the one who sent her the letter. She already knows about her mother's death in Cambodia over a year ago." Sagat's one eye narrowed a bit before he continued. "Let me ask you this Ryu… do you remember someone from Shadaloo attempting to kill you over a year ago… in Cambodia?"

Ryu tried thinking back. There had been a few times where some people attempted to kill him… even a couple of them that had taken place in Cambodia. However, although he had defended himself, he never actually killed any of his opponents.

 _He's accusing me of the death of Julia's mother?_ he thought. _But why? Don't tell me this is his way of getting back at me from all those years ago-_

That's when a thought came to him. Just a few hours ago, he remembered when he was telling the story to Julia of his and Sagat's battle all those years ago, he mentioned to her that he had blacked out at one point and when he came to Sagat was injured. With that in mind…it was possible that he could've been responsible for Michele's death.

"I can't recall any of it… if it even happened," Ryu said out loud.

"Do you have proof that Ryu had done this?" Julia suddenly asked with a shaky voice.

"There was a video of the incident and written evidence," Sagat replied. "But it has most likely been destroyed when the Shadaloo based was destroyed. If there ever comes a time where I come across the evidence again, I will bring it to you."

Sagat then turned his attention to Ryu while touching the scar on his own chest. "Come to think of it… you had mentioned to me in our last encounter that you couldn't remember leaving this scar on me. When you did at that tournament, your chi seemed to increase… it was as though you were a different person… I'm sorry, but even I can't seem to explain it… too much happened too fast at that moment."

Ryu kept silent as his mind began to race. There were times when he found himself fighting off his evil intent, something that came with his years of training in his fighting style.

Could it be that his evil intent had taken control when he blacked out during his fight with Sagat? And could it possibly be the reason why he couldn't recall killing anybody?

Sagat began heading towards the springs, knowing that his job was done. As he did, he spoke once more. "Soon Ryu… when we are back on Earth… we will have our rematch. And our rematch will be an honorable one and not out of desperation."

Once he was in the springs, Ryu and Julia only stood where they were. They knew the other was just a foot away, but neither of them could bare to look at the other as mixed feelings flowed through them.

For Julia, the entire situation only left her with more questions than answers. _Is it even true what Sagat is saying?_ she thought. She couldn't decided whether to believe the Muay Thai fighter on his words alone. Julia needed evidence to show if Ryu truly was the one who…

 _What if it was the truth?_ she thought again.

Meanwhile, Ryu couldn't think clearly. He had always been the one to be completely focused on anything, but this was the first time in ages that he couldn't keep his mind in full focus. He was beginning to believe that he may have indeed been responsible for Michele's death, most likely while the evil intent took over him. All he could really say for sure was that he truly couldn't remember anything from the incident… if he had been responsible at all.

Ryu was about to say something, but before he did, Julia spoke up. "Let's just go back," she said, her voice cracking. She then began walking forward. Ryu looked up at her and watched her walk away for a moment, deciding to let her go a head a few feet before following her.

Unknown to Ryu, the tears that Julia was holding back for a while began to freely fall down her face…


	59. Chapter Fifty-Eight

**Unknown**

_Blackness seemed to be the only thing Ashrah could see… at least until she was able to open her eyes. Once she did, her visions was blurred a bit so she blinked a couple of times in order to see better. She looked at her surroundings and realized that she was no longer in the cave._

Wh…where am I? _she asked herself._

_Ashrah then looked down and saw that she was just a foot above the ground. She then looked at her arms and realized that they were tied above her head. Confusion came across her mind and she began looking around again…then, it hit her…_

NO! I'm not in the Netherealm again! _she cried out in her head._

_That's when she looked at her skin…instead of it's normal smooth peach color, it was scaly and brown…it was her old demon form._

No… this isn't happening again!

_At that moment, she head footsteps that seemed to sound quite close to her. Ashrah looked around the room in panic, trying to figure out who was coming… and how close they were. Then, a puff of black smoke appeared before her and soon formed into a person… a person she immediately recognized._

_"_ _Noob," she growled._

_Noob narrowed his glowing white eyes at her. "And I thought I'd never get you back down here."_

_Ashrah tried struggling out of the chains that bounded her hands, even though she already knew that it was going to be no use. She was just about to speak, but then Noob quickly cut in._

_"_ _It took some time to get you back to where you belong, but I must say, it was well worth it." Noob then lifted up the kriss sword that once belongs to Ashrah. What was once a sliver blade was now as black as death itself and a dark purple energy flowed around it. "Once again, I must thank you for… lending me your weapon. It was quite helpful."_

_Noob then lashed the sword out. Although the tip of the blade was only a few inches away from cutting her, the dark purple energy spewed forth into her. As soon as it touch, a sheer pain course through Ashrah's body and she was forced to clench her teeth in order to prevent herself from screaming._

_"_ _Do you remember your first memories here?" Noob asked her. Ashrah kept silent so he decided to answer the question for her. "You experienced torture like no other that you could imagine. For your defiance against the Brotherhood of Shadow… the torture you couldn't imagine is about to begin."_

_Once again, he lashed the sword at her staying a few inches off. The energy spewed forth and the sheer pain felt worse than the last time. Ashrah attempted to clench her teeth again, but the pain coursing through her was enough for her to let out a small cry. She then looked at Noob and he once again lashed his sword out… and she tightly closed her eyes in preparation for the attack…_

However, nothing came and when she opened her eyes, she found herself lying down this time. Ashrah quickly sat up with a small gasp and scanned the room for a moment. She then sighed of relief upon realizing that she was leaning against the tree she was previously mediating against… back in Outworld.

 _It… was only a dream_ _…_ she thought as she rubbed her eyes. Ashrah began to feel a small bead of sweat on her forehead and she tried to shake off the dream that she just had. _It was a dream… but somehow… the pain, the surroundings, even Noob himself… it all felt so real…_

As she recollected her thoughts, Ashrah thought about the kriss sword that once belonged to her. It felt like ages since she possessed the sword in her very own hands. She remembered it's purity and it's responsibility for her freedom from the Netherrealm. Since Noob was now in possession of it, he used his magic to make it do the opposite of what it's done for her. The last time she was near it, it spewed dark energy within her with all the intentions of sending her back to the Netherrealm.

A grim look came over Ashrah's face as she thought about Noob again. She was sure that she had killed him in the Netherrealm, especially since it was in the aftermath of their fight there that she was freed.

"I really hope he gets his in due time," she whispered.

~~~

**Cave**

After a long night's sleep, Rose slowly opened her eyes, finding herself back in the surroundings of her room in the cave. She yawned a little as she stretched herself out a little underneath the sheets.

 _For some reason, I feel much more relaxed this morning,_ she thought.

That's when the curtain to her room opened and Raiden walked in. In his hands was a tray full of hot food.

"Good morning Rose," he said in a cheerful voice… which to Rose wasn't normal.

Rose began to sit up in a bit of confusion. As soon as she did, she noticed her bare shoulders and suddenly remembered what she and Raiden had done over the night. Quickly, she grabbed the sheet that covered her to keep it from falling further down.

"Um, good morning," Rose managed to say as Raiden sat down next to her on the bed. He then placed the tray in front of her. Rose got a better view of her breakfast…bacon and eggs with a single toast and a piece of fruit on the side along with a cup of tea.

 _Definitely from the palace,_ she thought.

"Well… this is nice," Rose said. She then found her cheeks burning a bit and she looked at Raiden. "So… after last night… does that mean that you're going to be nice like this?"

Raiden couldn't help but to grin. "Well I can't actually promise anything."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "Typical… but I still thing you'll be nicer."

"Maybe." He then smirked a bit. "…it's a good thing nothing serious came up last night. We could've been considered the worst leaders of a group."

Rose laughed a little. "That's only if our argument didn't beat that idea to it."

"Aw the Chosen Ones like us… or else they wouldn't be able to tolerate us up to this point."

"Well that's true."

At that moment, a voice was heard from behind the closed curtain. "Rose? Are you in there?"

Rose looked over at Raiden as though she was asking him if she should reply. Raiden nodded to her and Rose turned her head to the curtain. "Yes, I'm in here."

The curtain was pulled aside and Xianghua appeared before them. She briefly looked at Raiden before looking back at Rose. At that moment, a grumpy look came over her face as she placed her hands over her hips. "Oh good… I wanted to talk to _both_ of you about last night."

"Umm, okay," Raiden said unsure of what Xianghua was about to bring up. "So, what do you want to talk about that involved last night?"

"Well, first off," Xianghua began to say. "I want to bring up the fact that out of everyone in the cave, it was I who volunteered to bring a certain issue up." She then lifted a finger and slightly began to wag it. "Ever since we first came to Outworld, you two have done nothing but fight! I don't know what issues you two have with each other, but whatever it is, it needs to stop this instant!"

Xianghua took a deep breath before continuing. "We were all able to tolerate it, but last night was probably the worst of it all! Everyone in the cave heard you two yelling and screaming words we couldn't understand… and was all that thundering noise necessary?! I thought a thunderstorm was happening right in the cave!

Raiden and Rose tried not to laugh as the young woman proceeded. "So because you two were arguing so much and wouldn't stop, all of us had to sleep outside overnight… except Kenshi, who had to sleep in the woods because of his sensitive hearing. Now, we have three days left before the final day of the tournament and four days left before we leave! Now stop acting like children!" After yelling out her last sentence, Xianghua turned on her heel and stepped outside the room.

Once she did, Raiden and Rose found themselves giggling. "Guess we were being a little too loud last night," said Raiden.

"Guess so," Rose agreed. "Well, we might as well get ourselves ready. After all, Jin has his match later today."

"Yes he does… you know, after last night, maybe I should tell him to take a nap before his match."

"You go do that."

"First… finish your breakfast."

"All right all right," Rose said as she picked up her fork and began eating.

~~~

**Cave**

In her room, Alex sorted through her clothes, folding each one before placing them back in a bag. She smirked to herself a bit as thoughts of how the beginning of her time in Outworld started.

She only came here with just the clothes on her back and a couple of items that were in her pocket, plus her gun. Sonya and Rose had since given her clothes for her to wear during her stay here, plus a bag to place them in.

It was nearly lunchtime at this point. Alex's day mainly consisted of sleeping, eating brunch, and doing laundry which she was finally finishing up. Folding up the last few pieces of clothing, she was beginning to wonder what she was going to do next.

That's when she heard a female voice from the other side of the curtain. "Alex?"

Alex recognized the voice. "Come on in, Li Mei."

The curtain was pushed aside and Li Mei walked into the room. "Hi Alex. I was wondering if I could talking to you about something."

Alex looked up at her before straightening herself up. "Sure, what about?"

Li Mei let out a small sight before replying. "Well… I know you wanted to talk to me about something particular for some time… and I feel that I'm ready to talk about it. I think it's time anyway since we're a few days away from this whole thing to be over."

For a second, Alex wasn't sure what Li Mei was talking about… then she remembered. It was about what happened the day Ibuki died.

"Yeah sure," Alex said. "Here, let's sit down and you tell me what happened." Immediately, the two of them sat down with Alex on her bed and Li Mei on a chair that has been here since Alex's incident in the dungeons. "Just take your time and start when you're ready," Alex suggested.

Li Mei nodded as she let out another sigh, feeling sad over the thought of what she had witnessed all those days ago. She took a moment to breath before finally starting her story.

"I always felt responsible for what happened to Ibuki. After all, I was the one who suggested we go berry picking in the forest. At one point during our berry hunt, we had reached a fork in the trail and separated, thinking that our hunt would go a bit faster. When my trail ended, I was heading over to Ibuki's trail… and that's when I saw it… this woman was holding her by the neck and Ibuki was trying to do everything she could to get herself out of the grip. I was about to go and help her, but before I could move it was too late. A green mist came out of Ibuki and, by the change of her skin color, I knew that she was dead at that moment… and all I could do was run away…"

Li Mei let out another slow deep breath. She could feel the tears in her eyes, but she was able to keep them under control. "Sadly, there really isn't any other detail I can give… the woman who killed her was surrounded by a green aura and she looked so demonic-like… I don't even think she was ever in the tournament because I haven't seen her since…"

Alex nodded as she understood. "Thank you for the information Li Mei."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad that I was able to talk about it without crying."

"I know what you mean." Then a thought came to Alex. "Say… what do you plan to do after this whole tournament is over?"

Li Mei shrugged a little. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I've wanted to leave Outworld nearly my whole life… and I think it's time for me to do that. I want to start my life anew, perhaps maybe on Earthrealm."

Alex nodded again. "Earth is a great realm, you'll love it. It has it's ups and downs like every other realm."

"So I've been told," Li Mei agreed. "I was thinking about Keisei too… I guess we'll have to see within the next few days."

"Yeah… say, are you hungry? I ate not too long ago, but after all the laundry I've done, I could eat something light at least."

Li Mei smiled a little. "Actually I am. Let's head to the palace."

With that, the two woman began their departure from the room.

~~~

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

Entering the main throne room, Vega looked at his surroundings for a moment as he walked down the blood red carpet. Countless woman either stood or sat around the area, all wearing the same gold outfit that barely left anything to the imagination. He also noted the black collar with the emerald jewel in the front.

 _Makes me wonder how Shang Tsung keeps them under his control,_ he thought.

"Good, you are here," a voice from the end of the room called out.

Vega turned his head and saw Shang Tsung walking towards him. The matador walked the remaining distance in between them before the both of them stopped in their tracks.

"You wanted to see me?" Vega asked.

"Yes I did," Shang Tsung replied. He then briefly looked at the women in the room before looking at Vega again. A smirk appeared on his face. "Do you like what you see?"

Vega smirked in reply. "Yes, I like it very much. It's quite the harem you have."

"Yes and the numbers grow each week." The smirk slowly vanished from the sorcerer's face. "Now for business… have you made any progress on that Xianghua girl you had planned to capture?"

Vega sighed a little as he remembered the last time he had even seeing the young woman. "Unfortunately, things didn't work out the way I wanted it to. And I almost had her too… in my room and everything. However, her friends managed to find us and meddled in my affair."

"I see," Shang Tsung said sounding a bit disappointed. "It's too bad really. She would've been a good addition to my… collection."

Vega grinned then. "However, I have someone even better for you."

Shang Tsung's eyes seemed to light up. "Do you now?"

"Yes. You know of my 'servant' girl Viper?"

The sorcerer nodded. "Go on."

"I figured that perhaps after the tournament, I could perhaps… drop her off here, as a gift. At this point, I have no more use for her."

The smirk appeared on Shang Tsung's face again as he rubbed his goatee with his index finger and thumb. "I see now… she is a pretty one if I remember correctly. I like your new idea very much and perhaps she'll do even better than your original 'gift.' You have yourself a deal. Bring her here the day after the tournament."

"Very well Shang Tsung," Vega nodded. He then began to take his leave. As he did, he spoke once more. "I will see you later at today's tournament." Then, the matador passed the doors and disappeared.

A thought came to the sorcerer as he began to return to his throne. _It would be a better idea to have Viper here instead. After all…she is already under control…_

~~~

**Beach Area**

With the soft wind blowing against her face, Jade working on her training with her bojitsu in her hands. She kept her mind clear from any thoughts as she twisted and turned her weapon in different directions, moving around with grace.

Well, at least her mind was clear for most of her training. At one point, thoughts of her past came to her. Jade remembered those days when she had served Shao Kahn. She was very young when she first served the Emperor, her family giving her away to him as 'tribute' after the invasion of Edenia.

Jade worked harder on her training as these thoughts passed her mind, fueling her with some anger. Despite those dark days, one good thing came out of it… her friendship with Kitana. The two had grown to be close friends during their days as assassins. At one point, Jade was assigned along with Reptile to find Kitana and capture her alive. It had left Jade with a choice… betray her best friend or betray her master. Soon, her choice was clear and she had chosen to remain at the side of her best friend. Since then, Jade has been a personal bodyguard for both Kitana and her mother Sindel, a duty that she was dedicated to.

The green-clad woman continued with her training for a little while longer before finally stopping. She took a moment to catch her breath, all the while looking out at the beach scene before her. Indeed, Outworld did had it's beauty despite it's dark nature.

Just before Jade turned around, she heard someone coming not too far from her. Jade turned her heard and upon seeing Kilik coming up to her, a smirk came over her face.

"Good afternoon," she said to him.

Kilik smirked in reply as he raised up his own staff a little. "Hey there. Kitana told me that you'd be out here. Do you want to do some sparring for a bit?"

Jade sighed a little feeling a bit bad over what she was about to say to him. "I'd love to, but I just got finished with my own training for the day and, well, after that lack of sleep last night, I could use some rest."

"I know what you mean," Kilik sighed remembering all the noise from Raiden and Rose last night. "I meant to take a quick nap before, but I slept longer than I should have."

"Some of us definitely slept longer than normal today," Jade agreed. "Hopefully I don't end up falling asleep during Jin's match today."

"Definitely," Kilik said. Silence fell over them for a moment before Kilik asked, "How is everything?"

Jade shrugged a little. "Well… the Queen and I are doing well… we're just a bit worried about Kitana."

"Why is that?" Kilik questioned with curiosity.

Jade sighed a little. "Well, she has an infatuation with this man from Keisei and… well… it turns out that he's not who he seems to be. We know that Kitana shouldn't see him, but something tells me that she doesn't care. Perhaps maybe once we return to Edenia this will be over."

"Maybe," Kilik said.

As the two continued to talk about Kitana's situation, Kilik couldn't help but to gaze into Jade's green eyes, which seemed to look quite elegant to him. As he did, Jade ended up noticing the dreamy-like look on his face.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

Kilik blinked a couple of times before replying. "Um, yeah, everything's okay? Why do you ask?"

"Well because you looked like you were ready to fall asleep."

"Oh no," Kilik said. "I, eh, just, eh…"

As he said this, he found his face a bit closer to hers. Once he really noticed this, he couldn't help but to cover the remaining space between them and left a soft kiss on her lips before pulling back.

Jade wasn't sure how to react for a moment, but deep down she felt flattered. Now he understood why he was staring at her like that… he clearly had a crush on her.

She smirked at him. "I'll think about it," she replied. Jade then winked at him before she began walking back towards the cave.

Kilik watched her leave from where he was standing until she was completely out of view. He then sighed a bit as he raised his staff. "Well… it's a start at least."

From there, he began his own training.

~~~

**Forest**

Walking passed the countless trees, Ken Masters was heading back to the cave after some time in the hot springs. He felt a bit more relaxed now that he had spent some time there. Besides, he was the only one there anyway.

 _I wonder what everyone is up to at the moment?_ he asked himself.

Of course, he could imagine some of them, like himself, getting themselves prepared to watch this afternoon's match… the match that Jin will be in. And like everyone else, Ken hoped that Jin would make it to the final round of the tournament. After all he is the only one out of everyone in the cave still in the tournament.

As Ken continued walking down the trail, he heard someone training not too far from his direction. The blonde-hair millionaire continued walking down the trail, all the while searching for the person who was training.

It didn't take long before Ken finally spotted his long-time friend Ryu training just a few feet away from the main trail. Ryu was in full concentration as he punched and kicked at the dead tree in front of him. Noting the amount of sweat dripping down his face and the flushed look on his face, Ken figured that Ryu had been training for quite a while.

And by the determined look on his face, Ken knew that he was in full concentration.

Ken walked a few feet towards his friend. After a few more kicks, Ryu realized that someone was coming. He turned his head while catching his breath and saw Ken standing nearby.

Ken stared at him. "I know you train hard… but I get the feeling that something seems a bit different this time."

Ryu tried not to give any facial expressions. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well," Ken began to reply. "I was watching you train and during that short time, I noticed that you seemed tense. You usually aren't tense when you're training unless something was up."

Ryu sighed to himself. "You've known me for too long Ken. I guess there's no use of denying it then…" He rubbed the back of his neck a bit, unsure of whether or not to tell his best friend what happened with Julia last night.

Eventually though, he made the decision to do so. After all, it was a problem that he wanted to talk about before it ate him from the inside.

"Let's just say that Julia found the answers she was looking for," the dark-haired warrior replied. "And… Ken, her mother was killed over a year ago."

Ken's eyes widened in shock. "Damn… poor girl… where is she? Is she okay?"

"I think she's back in the cave… but honestly, I don't know how she is…" Ryu then took a deep breath. "Ken… I think _I_ was the one who killed her."

For a moment, Ken was silent, unsure of what to think of the whole situation. Once he was able to recollect himself, he asked, "What makes you think you killed Julia's mother?"

"Apparently there was filmed and written evidence that's still being searched for." Ryu began to pace around a bit as he proceeded. "I know I was in Cambodia around the same time of her death. That I'm sure of… but I swear on Master Gouken's grave, I don't remember ever killing anyone. They said I knocked her off a cliff during a fight, but I can't recall any of it." He then looked at Ken seriously. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Ken replied. "I don't suspect you of lying one bit. But what about Julia?"

"It's more about confusion right now," Ryu mentioned. "She wants to see the evidence first. She believes what I've said, but she also has her doubts at the same time."

"I can only imagine," Ken said. "The only thing I could suggest is to give Julia some time to figure things out. I'm sure once she's ready, she'll come to you again soon enough."

Ryu nodded. "Yes… that may be best."

Ken patted Ryu's shoulder. "Let's head back. I believe a certain match is going to begin in about an hour or so."

Ryu nodded. "Yeah… I admit, I don't want to miss it."

"That's the spirit!"

With that, the two long-time friends began heading back.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

Sitting in front of the lit campfire, Guy sat on the ground with his legs crossed and his hands rested on his knees. His eyes were closed shut and he breathed in a slow, rhythmic pace as his mind was in full concentration, free from any thoughts.

The Bushin ninja wasn't sure how long he was sitting there. He knew that he had been there since after lunch and had chosen to meditate here once he realized how quiet it us. A majority of the chosen ones were off the cave grounds, most of them at the main palace.

With his eyes closed, all Guy could see was darkness… that was until flashes of a person came before him. For a moment, Guy was confused, trying to figure out what was going on. Then, one flash lasted a bit longer, giving the chance to see the figure…and a female voice called his name…

 _Rena?_ he thought with surprise.

He had this flash before… images of his deceased fiance calling out his name. It would seem to happen during his longer meditations and it always seemed as though she was trying to get his attention.

"Guy!" she called out again. This time, it was though she was frantically trying to get his attention.

"Rena?" he replied under his breath.

Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, causing Guy to jump a bit and his eyes snapped opened. He suddenly found himself short of breath and he felt a small bead of sweat on his forehead.

"Whoa, easy there!" called out Cody who stood behind him.

Guy took a deep breath before turning his head a little. As he looked at Cody, he noted the position of the sun in the sky. "Sorry… eh, I wasn't expecting anyone around." He looked up into the sky then. "Didn't realize how much time passed either."

"You all right?" Cody asked once he noting the sweat on Guy's forehead.

Guy nodded a little as he took the back of his hand to wipe the sweat off. "Yeah… I guess I was deep in my meditation."

"All right," Cody nodded. "But hey, I came to tell you that we should get going. Jin's match starts in forty-five minutes and I want to try to get there soon so we can get front-row view."

In reply, Guy got himself on his feet. "All right. Let me just myself some bottled water and we'll head out."

With that, the two began heading back to the cave.

~~~

**Courtyard**

"So," said Shang Tsung as he arrived at his throne. "Are you looking forward to the results of today's match?"

In the seat next to the throne, Ivy Valentine looked up at the sorcerer. "Of course I am."

"Good."

As Ivy was the first winner to make it to the final round of the tournament, Shang Tsung had personally invited her to sit with him during the match between Siegfried Schtauffen and Jin Kazama… the only two other remaining fighters in the tournament. Today would determine which one Ivy would be facing in the final round of The Blood Tournament.

Shang Tsung turned his attention to the waiting crowd in front of him. "Greetings, and welcome to the last match of Round Seven! Today, two warriors will compete for the last spot in the final round!" He then turned his head to Ivy. "Whoever wins this fight will be facing Ivy Valentine in the final round in two days!" The sorcerer turned his head back to the large crowd. "Now… without further ado, we will begin the match!"

He briefly let the silence linger in the air for a moment, despite everyone knowing the two fighters who were going to face each other. Soon, he announced the first fighter.

"Siegfried Schtauffen!"

The blonde knight stepped into the ring once he heard his name being called out. Silently, he walked to the middle of the ring. The minute he reached it, he took out his large sword, holding the hilt with both hands.

Once he was ready, Shang Tsung announced his opponent.

"Jin Kazama!"

After hearing his name, Jin stepped into the ring and began heading over to where Siegfried was, soon stopping a few feet away. The two stared at each other for a moment as thoughts ran through their minds. Both knew that so much was at stake, being only one step away from being in the final round… and just two steps away from retrieving the medallion.

Both had their reasons for wanting the medallion… and both were determined to retrieve it.

Siegfried nodded to him, waiting to see if he was ready. Jin nodded in reply, giving the signal that they were both ready for their match. Slowly, they got into their fighting stances.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.

For a moment, the two stood where they were as they awaited for the other to make the first move. After some time passed, both Siegfried and Jin launched forward, beginning their fight.

Quickly, Siegfried swung the flat side of his sword sideways, a maneuver in which Jin ducked under quickly. He then attempted to deliver a series of punches in which Siegfried dodged from as well. Eventually, Siegfried found an opening and kneed Jin in the stomach. The blow stunned Jin for a moment, giving Siegfried the chance to perform a double kick before delivering a roundhouse kick, sending Jin flying a few feet and crashing into the ground.

After landing, Jin rolled back a bit before getting back on his feet. He waited until Siegfried covered the distance between them and once he did, he delivered a double punch before performing his own roundhouse, his leg briefly surrounded by red lightning.

The kick only caused Siegfried to stumble a few feet sideways before stopping. Once he did, he once again swung his sword, forcing Jin to step back a few feet in order to avoid the attack.

At one point, Siegfried left himself open for a moment in order to give Jin a chance to run back towards him. Once he did, Siegfried jumped up and spin in the air before attacking Jin with a kick to the face, causing him to stumble back a bit. And as Jin attempted to recover from the kick, Siegfried took the opportunity to swing the flat side of his sword, smacking Jin with such force that he flew across the ring and just landed a foot away from the edge of the ring.

 _That was too close!_ Jin thought.

He was able to hear his allies cheering on for him, giving him a bit more confidence. Jin got himself back on his feet just as Siegfried was getting closer. Once he reached him, the two of them exchanged more attacks on each other in hopes of overpowering the other.

Eventually, Jin was able to get himself on full offense, forcing Siegfried on defense. After leaving some attacks, Jin was able to break through Siegfried's block and landed a few punches to his abdomen before letting loose one big punch in the chest as more red lightning surrounded his fist. The force of the attack caused Siegfried to fly back a couple of few before crashing into the floor.

After crashing, Siegfried managed to get himself back up on his feet. _I won't lose!_ he called out in his mind.

He waited for Jin to cover the distance between them again before resuming their fight. They both exchanged some moves again before Jin landed a knee to Siegfried's stomach, causing him to rear back for a moment as he felt the air in his lungs suddenly leave him. As Jin attempted to attack again, Siegfried quickly swung his sword again, smacking him once. Then he reversed his sword to another direction before landing another blow on Jin again. Finally, he spun himself around and aimed his sword at Jin's feet, quickly tripping him to the floor.

Afterward, Siegfried attempted to stomp on Jin with his foot, but Jin quickly rolled out of the way before receiving the blow. Getting himself back up again, Jin managed to get himself closer to Siegfried again and lifted up a leg, delivering a spinning back kick which landed on his opponent's face.

Siegfried staggered for a moment and when he saw that Jin was coming at him again, he swung his sword upward, which managed to catch Jin. The impact sent Jin flying a few feet in the air before coming back down. Before he could land on the ground however, Siegfried quickly performed a drop kick, sending Jin flying back a few more feet before crashing to the floor.

At this point, both of them were fueled mainly by their desire to win. For a brief moment, Siegfried was able to feel his right hand startling to shake… but for the first time since the shaking began, he completely ignored it as Jin got himself back on his feet.

 _This isn't the time!_ Siegfried thought.

Meanwhile, as Jin was getting back up on his feet, he could feel his inner dark energy beginning to overwhelm him. It was a feeling that he had not felt since the earlier matches in the tournament.

 _No…not now!_ Jin thought. _Not when I'm this close!_

Both of them let out battle cries as they jumped at each other once again. Once they reached each other, they exchanged more attacks on each other before Jin landed a punch to Siegfried's face before following it up with an elbow to his jaw. Afterward, he lifted up a foot and kicked him in the stomach again, causing him to stagger back again.

Siegfried ignored the pain in his stomach, clenching his teeth as he waited for Jin to attempt to attack him again. When the younger man was close enough, Siegfried turned his sword and used the hilt to blunt Jin right in the face, causing him to go blind with colors for a moment. Afterward, Siegfried quickly brought his sword down, forcing Jin back to the floor.

By then, the shaking in Siegfried's right hand was worsening. He reared back a few feet in order to give himself room to try and recover. He was afraid of what could happen if he blacked out in the middle of the match. After all, the last thing he needed was to wake up and find Jin dead at his feet.

Jin was distracted by the devil gene that was attempting to control him at this very moment. Both of his arms were surrounded by red lightning, which seemed to glow more with each passing second.

At the throne, both Shang Tsung and Ivy looked on with curiosity. After a moment of watching, Shang Tsung smirked a little. "Seems these two have a bit of a problem on their hands."

Ivy said nothing as she looked on at the two men fighting in the ring. Particularly, she couldn't help but to notice Siegfried the most.

 _Is it me or does he seem so familiar?_ she asked herself.

Back in the ring, Jin was back on his feet. Both he and Siegfried stared at each other again… and noticed the other struggling a bit with their inner power.

 _He seems to be suffering too!_ they both ended up thinking.

Ignoring their struggling, they both lunged at each other again. More attacks were exchanged between them for another moment before Jin, his whole body now surrounded by the group of red lightning, performed a double punch before following it up with a double kick. Finally, he lunged forward and landed a powerful punch that sent Siegfried flying across the ring… and Jin could only watched up seeing his opponent flying passed the ropes that surrounded the ring and crashing into some of the viewers behind the ropes.

He had won.

After a moment, Shang Tsung stood up from his throne. "Winner: Jin Kazama!"

The audience was silent for a moment, surprised by the outcome of the match and what occurred prior to it's finish. Eventually though, they all clapped in unison with Jin's allies cheering on for their winner.

Jin watched as Siegfried got himself back up on his feet before turning to Jin. The two stared at each other for a moment before Siegfried quickly made his way out of the courtyard. The younger man could only imagine the feelings running through Siegfried's mind over his loss in the tournament, especially coming so far.

"Jin," someone called from behind.

The young man turned to the voice, staggering a bit as the feeling of exhaustion from the fight suddenly hit him. He turned to the person who called his name and his eyes meet Shang Tsung's, who smirked at him.

"Congratulations," the sorcerer said. "You managed to make it to the final round of the tournament. In two days…" He turned his head to Ivy, who was now standing. "You two with compete for the ultimate prize."

Ivy and Jin stared at each other from where they stood. No thoughts passed their minds… only knowing that they would be facing each other in two days.

It was now official. Ivy and Jin were to face each other in the final round to determine who was truly worthy of _Chishio No Me_. Both had their reasons for wanting the medallion… and both were determined to emerge the victor…


	60. Chapter Fifty-Nine

**_The Next Evening_ **

**Cave Grounds**

Sitting in front of the lit campfire, Nightwolf and Dan sat with their legs crossed as they stared into the blazing flames before them. Just moments ago, Nightwolf had invited Dan to join him here, but didn't specify why. Considering that the final day of the tournament was tomorrow and that the group would be departing Outworld in two days, Dan had the feeling that today was the final day of his training with the shaman.

For a while, the two of them were silent as Dan reflected on all of Nightwolf's teaching these passed few weeks. Eventually, Nightwolf brought up a small brown pouch which looked to be filled up.

"Tonight," the shaman began to say. "You will have your final test. I have taught you much since the beginning of your studies and I have confidence that you will continue with your mental training after your final test. If you pass tonight, you will complete your training."

Dan nodded. "I hope I do well in my test."

Nightwolf began opening the pouch he had in his hands. "This is how your final test will go… you will be put in a deep sleep and from there, your mind will bring you to another place. From there, you will begin your final journey. I am not sure where your journey will take you and what will occur there. All I can advise to you is to be prepared for anything."

"I understand," Dan replied with a small nod.

The shaman reached his hand into the pouch then. "Are you ready?"

The pink-clad man took a deep breath for a moment. "Yes, I'm ready," he soon said.

Nightwolf took his hand out of the pouch after collecting some green dust. He unraveled his hand before blowing the dust into the fire. This caused the flames to ignite more and from there, he made a few chants in a different language. Dan could only watch as he waited for his final test to begin.

Eventually, a green mist rose from the fire, flowing around the student and master for a while. Soon, the mist shot itself around Dan, spinning itself around him before disintegrating into thin air. Afterwards, Dan suddenly felt tired and before he knew it, he collapsed on to his back, now in his deep sleep.

Nightwolf placed his hands on his own knees and closed his eyes once he knew that Dan was asleep. "May your spirit guide you," he said.

~~~

**Beach**

"I'm so glad we have this water here," mentioned Mi-na as she dipped her hands into the water. "I don't know what I would do if we didn't."

"Tell me about it," agreed Xianghua. "But I was sure they would… what realm doesn't have water?"

"That's true."

The two Keisei natives began cleaning their hands off under the water after making dinner for themselves and their allies a while ago. As they did, Mi-na happened to look at her friend and noticed the confused expression on her face.

 _Hmm, wonder what this is all about?_ she thought.

"Say," Mi-na said out loud. "Are you thinking about something?"

"Huh," Xianghua uttered a little. She blinked a couple of times before turning her head to Mina. Afterwards, she smiled. "Yeah, everything is fine."

Mi-na stared at her, noting that her smiled seemed a bit forced. "I don't think it is. You know you can talk about anything with me."

Xianghua's smile faded before sighing a bit. She took her hands out from the water before sitting down on the sand.

"To be honest," Xianghua began. "I really don't know what to think. It's something that's been bothering me for quite some time."

"Is it about what happened with that jerk back at the palace?" Mi-na asked.

Xianghua shook her head. "I'm still shaken up over that, but actually that's wasn't what I was thinking."

"Oh?" Mi-na said curiously.

Once again, Xianghua took another sigh before proceeding. "Well… I've had feelings for someone for quite sometime… but the thing is, I know that he has feelings for someone else. I've been trying the best I can to get over him. I wanted to move on and just be friends with him as I always have been… but… I don't know."

"Well, I'm not the best when it comes to advice, but I'll do the best I can," Mi-na said as she took her hands out of the water. "For one thing, I'd say it could be worth the shot. Don't wait around for him… go to him before it's too late. But if he really likes the girl he likes, then there's nothing that can be done." Mi-na couldn't help but grin then. "I wonder… who is he?"

"Um-" Xianghua began to say but then noticed someone coming. "Hey Hwang!"

Mi-na turned her head around and saw her long-time friend coming up to them. Hwang had a relaxed look on his face, but Mi-na could tell by the looks in his dark eyes that something was up.

"Let me guess," Mi-na began to say. "You want to do more training?"

"Actually not this time," Hwang replied. "But I want to talk to you about something very important… preferably before we return to Keisei."

Mi-na sighed. "This isn't about how we came here to begin with, is it?"

Hwang was silent. Mi-na frowned a bit as she realized how truly serious he was.

Before she could speak, Xianghua stood herself up. "Well I should head back in anyway. So I'll leave you two to talk."

"All right," Mina said. "I'll see you later."

Xianghua nodded before she began heading back to the cave. Unknown to anyone, Jade was hiding behind a tree. She had arrived moments ago to the beach area to train and happened to have heard Mina and Xianghua's conversation. The only reason she was hiding behind the tree was so that Hwang didn't see her.

After what Xianghua had said, Jade had the feeling that the man Xianghua was talking about was none other than Kilik.

~~~

**Main Palace**

There was hardly anyone around when a cloaked figure slowly made their way through the main hall of the palace. The figure would only move whenever the few people weren't looking. When not a single soul was in sight, the figure made their way up the stairs, eventually coming to the fourth floor.

Two people were in the hall of the fourth floor, forcing the cloaked figure to hide behind one of the gargoyle statues, one of the many decorations in the palace. It waited until the coast was clear before making a move, walking before finally stopping in front of one of the doors.

Softly, the figured knocked on the door, then waited. It wasn't long before someone opened the door, revealing to be Siegfried.

"May I help you?" he asked.

The figure removed the hood of the dark blue cloak and Siegfried's eyes widened in surprise upon recognizing the person.

"Kitana…" he trailed off before stepping aside to let her in. Kitana moved herself into the room and once she was in, Siegfried closed the door before locking it. "What are you-"

"I had to see you," Kitana quickly cut in. "My mother didn't want me to, but I just had to, especially with tomorrow being our last day here…"

"I know," Siegfried hushed her. He then stared at her. "I haven't seen you since our walk."

"Yeah," Kitana sighed. She then looked into his eyes. "How are you? I mean, you lost the tournament…"

Siegfried sighed a little. "I am disappointed over my loss… but… I get the feeling that I may be better off. I don't know why I do to tell you the truth…"

Actually, there was no truth in what he just said. Of course he wanted the medallion in order to finally lift the curse that was on his shoulders. He was definitely more than disappointed in himself over his loss yesterday.

Then again, after seeing his opponent Jin struggle in the nearly the same matter as him, there was an off chance that Jin had a very good reason for needing the medallion as well.

They were both determined to win… but it would seem that Jin was destined for the medallion…

That is, if he wins tomorrow of course.

After thinking through this, Siegfried found himself gazing into Kitana's eyes, frowning a bit as he did. He knew that she had feelings for him ever since the single kiss they shared the last time they saw each other… but he knew that he that he was having the same thoughts as well.

However, he didn't want to get too close to her… not with the situation he was having right now.

After thinking through this, Siegfried spoke. "Are you hungry?"

Kitana shook her head. "No, I ate just before coming here. I might be thirsty later though."

Siegfried nodded. "All right. I have some water up here so help yourself when you're ready."

"Thank you," Kitana said as he walked over to his bed. She took a moment to take off her cloak, placing it on top of the empty stand nearby before sitting down at the edge of the bed. After she sat down, Siegfried walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"I know it's been hard," Siegfried mentioned. "I wish things were easier."

Kitana nodded. "I know… I just want this to be over. Outworld has done nothing but serve bad memories for me."

Siegfried found himself reaching his hand up to her cheek before gently brushing it with the back of his fingers. "It doesn't have to be all about the bad memories. Try to focus on the good."

 _If you only you knew…_ Kitana found herself thinking.

Silence fell between them for a moment. Kitana tried to figure out what to say, but she eventually found herself leaning her face towards Siegfried's before pressing her lips against his. For a moment, Siegfried was still, but he soon returned the kiss. He wrapped one arm around her back and brought her closer to him.

For a while, the two shared a soft kiss. Afterward, however, they began to deepen their kiss. Despite their own doubts from previous, they were able to clear their minds in order to enjoy this moment. For once in their lives, they weren't concerned over any worries they just had moments ago. Yes, Siegfried had thoughts of not wanting to get too close to Kitana…but it would seem that his heart had won it's own battle over his mind.

Soon, the two found themselves lying back on the bed they were sitting on. As the minutes passed, they eventually found themselves in a fit of passion…

~~~

**Cave**

Jin walked through the cave hall, passing by the rooms before stopping in front of one. He stood there for a moment and was able to hear some rustling from behind the closed curtain.

This particular room belonged to Cammy. Jin knew that she was taking a nap and he wanted to check up on her before going outside to train in order to prepare himself for tomorrow. If she happened to be up at this point, he planned on telling her of course. If not, he would leave a note for her.

Jin pulled the curtain aside and peaked into the room. Just as he did, he heard a gasp coming from the room. Jin looked over at where Cammy was confused for a moment. She was sitting up in her bed, her eyes widened as though she had just seen a ghost. However, it was the fact that she looked very pale was what got Jin wondering…

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he walked over to Cammy and sat next to her on the bed.

Cammy took a moment to take a few breaths to calm her shaking nerves before turning to him. "Um nothing… I just had a freaky dream."

Jin placed a hand on her shoulder. "That bad?"

"In a way… yeah…" Cammy took another deep breath before continuing. "The whole thing just felt so real. I felt like I was really there."

"Do you mind describing it to me?" Jin asked curiously.

"Well… if you insist." Cammy briefly wiped the sweat that was developing over her face. "Where do I begin… I was back on Earth. That I figured because there were stars in the dark sky. I remember walking through the forests and I think I was running as though I was trying to get away from something."

As Cammy spoke, Jin moved himself so that he was slightly behind her. He then took both of his hands and gently rubbed her shoulders. She had stopped speaking for a moment as she felt him massaging her.

"Go on," Jin encouraged.

Cammy took another deep breath before proceeding. "At one point, I tripped. When I turned around, I saw this demon not too far from me. He had all of these features… chains on his arms and legs, horns on his head, various black tattoos on his body, and black feathered wings so long, I thought they may reach out and touch me. What was more horrifying was his eyes… they were a bright gray and they glowed so brightly… that was when I woke up, but I can't get the image out of my mind…"

Long before she finished, Jin had stopped massaging her shoulders. Looking down at the bed, his dark eyes were widened and his mouth was gapped opened with horror…

He remembered his own dreams… envisioning the being that was his devil gene… and Cammy's description of the devil was the same exact one that was in his blood. He never said a thing to her about it… yet she dreamed of the one thing he feared of… for him to change into the devil and go after her…

 _Please tell me it's all just a coincidence…_ Jin pleaded.

As Jin's mind raced, Cammy realized that he had stopped moving. She reached for one of his hands with her own and placed it on top. For a brief moment, she noted how tense his hand was, but within less than a second, they relaxed.

"Are you okay?" Cammy asked him.

Jin blinked for a moment upon hearing her voice. Afterward, he lifted his head up just in time to see her turn her head to look at him.

"Sorry, I'm okay," Jin replied. "Um… that was some dream you had."

"Yeah," Cammy nodded.

"Actually," Jin began to say. "I originally came here to tell you that I'm going to go out to the forest to train for a little while in case you or anyone else need me for anything."

Cammy managed to smile. "Okay, you go do that." She then leaned forward to briefly kiss his lips. "After all, you have a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah," Jin smirked as he got himself up. "I should be back in a couple of hours."

Soon Jin began leaving the room. Upon completely stepping out, the horrified look returned to him. For some reason, he couldn't help but worry more about his devil gene than tomorrow's match…

~~~

**Unknown Area**

For some time, a white light hit Dan and he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to see this light. Eventually though, the light finally disappeared. Dan blinked a couple of times before he began looking at his surroundings…he was surrounded by countless mountains and the sky above was a blood red. Blackened barks was a reminder that a forest once stood there.

Dan narrowed his eyes a little. "Where am I?" he asked out loud.

All was quiet around him aside from the wind that blew around him. From there, he was supposed to begin on his final journey to complete his mental training with Nightwolf.

"I don't even know where to begin," he muttered to himself with a bit of confusion.

Unknown to him, a tall, muscular blackened figure with glowing red eyes began to approach Dan from behind. Unaware, Dan continued to look at the area in front of him. Then the figure let out a small grunt, making Dan's eyes widened in surprise. He turned his head around and saw the shadow standing a few feet away.

Dan gave off a goofy grin out of nervousness. "Um, hello there," he found himself saying.

The shadow let out another grunt before throwing his hand forward. Quickly, a red fire-like project shot out from his hand and aimed straight towards Dan.

"Yipe!" Dan cried out as he quickly ducked underneath the projectile, covering his head with his hands in the process.

After the fireball passed him, Dan straightened himself back up. "All right, that only just caught me by surprise." He then got himself in a fighting stance. "Now… let's begin."

The shadow's eyes seemed to glow more in reply. Afterward, he began running towards Dan, who stood where he was ready to fight.

The shadow attacked with a forward kick, a maneuver in which Dan ducked from immediately. Dan then tried to follow up with a punch to the stomach, but the shadow immediately blocked with his forearm. He then took the back of his other hand and managed to smack Dan in the face, the impact causing the Saikyo fighter to stagger back while holding his nose.

After he stopped staggering, Dan shook off the pain. "All right, a little mistake on my part… let's try again."

With his fists raised, Dan ran back over to his opponent. Upon reaching him, he began throwing some punches at the shadow… all in which were blocked. Eventually, the shadow found an opening and quickly kneed Dan in the stomach, causing him to keel over as a rush of air left his lungs. Then, the shadow took his elbow and bashed Dan's back, forcing him to crash into the ground.

Dan gritted his teeth in order to ignored the pain that was now coursing through his body. He then happened to look up and saw his opponent's foot raised above him. Knowing what he was about to do, Dan quickly rolled a few feet out of the way just as the shadow brought his foot down. Afterward, the pink-clad man managed to get himself back on his feet.

"Taste this!" Dan called out as he quickly shot his hand out. “ _Gadouken!_ _”_

A light blue projectile shot out of his hand. However, it only went a few feet before bursting into nothing like a bubble. Dan's eyes widened upon seeing this.

"Damn… I still have to work on that!"

The shadow began running over to Dan once again. He then began delivering different attacks on Dan, who was forced to block with his arms… for a moment. Soon, the shadow managed to break through Dan's block, landing some of his punches before kicking Dan in the stomach, forcing him to fly a few yards back before skidding on the ground, eventually coming to a halt.

Dan looked down at the ground as he gritted his teeth… this time out of frustration.

 _Damn it, I have to focus!_ he yelled in his mind. _If I don't, I'll fail… and that's the last thing I want!_

Dan tried thinking back on all of Nightwolf's teachings. It wasn't long before one of Nightwolf's lessons came to him;

_When confronting your enemy, you must not think about your worries and your weakness. Focus on your true potential._

Dan relaxed after thinking these words. "All right… I'll keep that in mind…" He then slowly got himself back up, ready to fight once again. This time however, he concentrated on the energy within him. Already, he could feel some power within his own hands, but he knew that he had to work on this a bit longer in order to get a better result.

The shadow had made his way halfway back to Dan up to this point. Dan noted the emotionless expression in the glowing red eyes of his opponent… it would see as though he knew nothing of what may come.

 _Good… it's just what I needed_ _,_ Dan thought with a smirk.

Then, the shadow let out a loud grunt and he began running closer to Dan. When he was just a few feet away, the right moment came.

" _GADOUKEN!_ " Dan yelled out as he shot his hand out. The new energy ball was the same size as his original, but this time it was able to last long time to cover the distance between him and his opponent. And this time, it managed to hit the shadow right in the chest, the impact sending him flying a few feet away before crashing into the ground.

"Gotcha!" Dan called out. "Now we're getting somewhere!"

He waited until the shadow got himself back on his feet. The narrow look in his eyes showed his rage and this time, he let out a loud roar before running over to Dan again.

Dan focused his energy again, hoping that his next attack would leave an even better impact. He waited until the shadow was just a foot away… and soon that moment came.

" _KORYUKEN!_ " Dan yelled out as he jumped with his fist out. As he performed the uppercut, he managed to hit the shadow under the chin. Normally, Dan would jump about a foot or two from the ground. This time however, much to Dan's amazement, he managed to go a few more feet up, taking his opponent along with him.

Soon, Dan found himself falling back to the ground and his used his own feet to land back on the ground safely. Moments later, the shadow landed on the ground hard on his back. Dan got himself in his own fighting stance, waiting for the shadow to get himself back up. However, that moment never happened.

Dan lowered his fists down upon realizing that he was the victor of this match. "I won?" he questioned himself. He then raised his fist up in the air. "I did it!"

However, before he would celebrate further, a white light hit his eyes once again…

~~~

**Beach Area**

Hwang and Mi-na sat down together just a few feet away from the shoreline. Moments ago, Hwang had arrived here after seeing Mi-na here with Xianghua. After Hwang announced that he needed to talk to Mina, Xianghua left the two alone. That was a couple of minutes ago.

Now Hwang was about to get the answers he wanted since day one.

Once they were settled, Mi-na turned to her long-time friend. "So what is it that you want to talk about?" she asked.

Hwang sighed a bit before replying. "Well, as you guessed, I did want to talk about what happened the day you ran off from home. It was why I followed you here rather than just try to drag you back to the village. I think you had a good reason for running off like you did."

For a moment, Mi-na was silent, unsure of what to say. Indeed she had her reason for running away from home and she had been hesitant about telling Hwang her reason. However, now seemed like the right time talk about, especially with their departure coming in two days.

"Hwang," Mi-na began to say. "You know how much I love my father. Ever since my mother and brother died, we've only had each other. However, a situation came up and… I just can't go through with it."

"What kind of situation?" Hwang asked.

Mi-na sighed deeply before continuing. "…My father has set up an arranged marriage for me. The wedding is actually supposed to take place next month."

Hwang raised an eyebrow in confusion. "An arranged marriage? Master never mentioned anything about that."

"He wanted it to be a surprise," Mi-na mentioned. "Only few knew about it." She took another breath before continuing. "Do you remember that rich farmer just outside of the city?"

Hwang tried to think for a moment, but it soon clicked in his mind. "Reeh Tak?"

Mi-na nodded in reply.

Immediately, Hwang rubbed the back of his neck in surprise. "Your father arranged a marriage for you with _him_ _?_ "

"I know," Mi-na said. "Father is unfortunately oblivious of the rumor of the way he's treated his last wife." An angry look appeared on her face. "True or not, I refuse to risk it, even if it will make us rich and my father happy. I really didn't know what else to do, so I ran away from home on the day I was supposed to officially meet him."

Mi-na turned her head to Hwang. Upon seeing his face, she became a bit surprised. His own eyes were widened as though he was in shock.

"What's the matter?" Mi-na asked him.

Hwang looked up at her after hearing her question. "If only I knew about the arrangement beforehand."

"What do you mean?" the young woman asked.

Her friend sighed a little. "I was at his land with my comrades the day his wife died. It was ruled a suicide… but sometimes, I've always wondered. I've been to the house more than once beforehand… it was always because they were arguing. Tak did look upset that day… but sometimes, I wonder…"

"I figured as much," Mi-na sighed. "But I get the feeling that my father won't believe a word I say about him."

Hwang placed a comforting hand on Mi-na's shoulder. "Try not to worry about it. We have another two days to try to figure out how to resolve the matter."

Mi-na nodded. "All I know is that I don't want to go back unless a change happens."

"I know," Hwang agreed. "But I promise that we'll figure out something before we leave."

Mi-na smirked at her childhood friend. "Thanks… for listening I mean."

"Not a problem," Hwang replied.

~~~

**Main Palace**

After what seemed like hours of passion, Siegfried now found himself lying in his bed on his back looking up at the cream-colored ceiling above. In his arms, Kitana was sound asleep, her soft rhythmic breathing the only sound in the room.

Siegfried felt tired, but he didn't want to go to sleep just yet. As he continued looking up at the ceiling, thoughts began to play in his head.

He knew that a part of him was happy and it wasn't just about what he and Kitana had shared not too long ago. For one thing, it so happened to be one of the few times that he didn't think about his problems. More importantly however, he realized how much he cared about the Edenian Princess.

However, another part of him felt grim. Of course, he wanted nothing more than to share (what was left of) his happiness with Kitana. Unfortunately, unless he could find a way to resolve his curse, then his chance of sharing more of his happiness may not happen…

Siegfried moved his head to look down at Kitana. Her head rested on his shoulder and one arm wrapped around his waist underneath the sheet. Siegfried's left arm was wrapped around her, his hand touching her back and his right hand rested on her upper arm. After looking at her for a moment, he reached up with his right hand and gently touched her face, frowning as the grim thoughts came back to him.

 _I wish things could be better for you,_ he thought.

Not even a second after thinking out, his right hand suddenly began to shake… much to his horror.

Siegfried pulled himself away from Kitana and moved himself so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He stared at his shaking hand, the horror on his face now replaced with anger.

 _Why now?!_ he demanded in his mind.

For a while, Siegfried forced himself to open and close his hand into a fist in hopes of trying to control the curse that was now trying to take over him. Then, a deep, demonic voice spoke in his head.

 _ _ **Souls... must have... souls!**__ The hand seemed to move then and Siegfried watched. Eventually it stopped… right in front of Kitana!

 _You can mutilate my own soul!_ Siegfried yelled out in his head as he gritted his teeth. _But you won't take her's! Not even over my own dead body!_

Siegfried closed his eyes tightly then, once again trying to control the cursed power.

"Siegfried?" a female voice suddenly said.

Suddenly, the shaking in his hand stopped and he opened his eyes. Suddenly, all seemed silent. Siegfried found himself catching his own breath and he scanned the room for a moment before he laid eyes on Kitana. The Princess was sitting up on her bed with the sheet covering her and he possessed a worried look on her face.

"Is everything all right?" Kitana asked him with concern. "You seemed like you were in pain."

Siegfried wasn't sure what to say at that moment. All he was able to do was hang his head down, not wanting her to see the disappointed look that was just developing over him. This all because of a realization that just came to him…

 _I could've killed her tonight…_ he thought grimly.

From that moment, Siegfried realized that he had to do something… something that was going to hurt both he and Kitana. He did care for her, but he couldn't risk being near her anymore, not with his curse… not with her life at stake.

Siegfried managed to raise his head to her. "Kitana… we need to talk."

"About what?" the young woman asked.

Siegfried sighed a bit before continuing. "I really don't know how to say it… but… I'm going through a crisis right now. It involves a curse that I'm trying to get rid of. Right now… it's just too dangerous for you to be around me…"

A frown immediately came over Kitana's lips. "So you're saying that we can't see each other anymore?"

Siegfried shook his head. "No… just from this point until I can finally get rid of this curse. I'm sorry Kitana… I'm only putting you in more danger if you continue to stay with me."

After hearing these words, Kitana was able to feel her own heart breaking. Even though he said that they could be reunited in the future, it still hurt to hear him say these words.

 _Perhaps we were never meant to be…_ she thought sadly.

Without saying anymore to him, Kitana got herself out of bed. She then grabbed her dark blue cloak and placed it over her body before collecting her other clothing from the floor. Siegfried could only watch this. Kitana then began to head to the door, but upon touching the knob, she stopped herself. She stood there for a few seconds before turning her head to Siegfried.

The two stared at each other in silence for a while before Kitana finally spoke while trying to hold her tears back. "I've enjoyed our time together Siegfried. I hope that you will able to lift your curse. When you do… come see me in Edenia."

With that, Kitana took her leave. Siegfried could only watch again as she stepped out of the room before closing the door behind her. Afterward, Siegfried began to have the feeling that he would never see Kitana again…

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

For a while, Dan could only see a white light in front of his eyes. Not too long ago, he fought a shadowed figure in a deserted area. As he waited for the light to fade away, he wondered if his final test would continue forward or if it was the end.

Soon, the light indeed faded away and all Dan could see was darkness. He then realized that his eyes were closed, so he slowly opened them. He found himself lying down on his back and after stretching himself a bit, he slowly got himself back up.

Afterwards, Dan looked at his surroundings… he was back in front of the campfire. The fire itself was close to going out. He then turned to his right and saw Nightwolf. He was still in his cross legged position, but this time his eyes were opened.

"Congratulations," Nightwolf said. "You have passed your final test. You were able to realize your errors during your fight and were able to concentrate on the fight and the energies around you. I have watched your vision through my meditation."

"So," Dan began to say. "You're now saying that my training is complete."

Nightwolf nodded a little. "In a way, yes. Even though my teachings are over, that does not mean that the journey itself has come to an end. Even the masters continue with their practices long after their own training has been completed. Always take your teachings along with your in your future journeys."

Dan nodded. "I don't know if I can thank you enough. I appreciate you giving me the chance and patience to teach me what I need to know." Then an idea came to him. "Say… can we mediate just one last time?"

Nightwolf placed his hands on his own knees as a small smirk came over his face. "Yes we may… you've earned it."

With that, the two spent some time in their meditating state.

~~~

**Forest**

For sometime, Jin quietly trained just near the edge of the forest. During that time, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get his mind off of what happened before coming here. Cammy had a dream about a demon… and that demon had the same description of the one that was part of his devil gene.

Jin was hoping that the dream was nothing more than a coincidence. However, he still had his doubts. Then again, there was no way that Cammy would have been influenced by the devil's energy. After all, Jin had been up the entire time she was taking a nap earlier.

 _I just hope that this doesn't leave a bad omen_ _,_ he thought.

Jin wasn't sure how long he had been training before he decided to call it a night. As he took a moment to relax himself, he looked up into the blue starless night above him. Normally, the moon was bright, but it seemed to be dim this time around.

That's when a voice was heard, a voice that suddenly said his name. "Jin Kazama!"

Jin quickly whirled around to see the person behind him. Even before he saw the person, he realized that he wasn't able to recognize the voice and was expecting an enemy to be nearby. A tall person stood a few feet away from him… he was indeed a man, but seemed to look like a cross of a demon and an alien due to his usual outfit and mask.

Jin didn't get into his fighting stance, but he was prepared to fight if this person ended up being a threat. "Who are you?" the young man demanded.

The person began to walk towards him. "There's no need to be alarmed, I don't wish to fight. My name is Yoshimitsu."

Jin instantly recognized that name. "You're the one who helped Nina and Raven a few days ago. And you're the one who knows the true nature of the medallion."

"Precisely," Yoshimitsu replied. "Speaking of the medallion, that is the reason why I've come to you tonight."

"I've figured as much," Jin said.

By now, Yoshimitsu was standing a couple of feet away from the young man. "Tomorrow, you face Ivy in the final round of the tournament. As a former wielder of the medallion, there is a question I want to personally ask you."

Jin nodded. "Go on."

Silence lingered between them for a moment before Yoshimitsu asked his question. "Say that you win the tournament and receive your prize… what do you plan to do with that medallion?"

Jin tried not to grunt by this question… his allies back at the cave have been asking him this very question all day and he was already unraveling his nerves from the inside. He had only given them the same answer: 'I don't know.'

However, this time, the question was coming from the last man who held the medallion in his hands… the very medallion that changed him into the form that he was in now. The question didn't seem important when his friends asked him this… yet now, it seemed to be so important now that Yoshimitsu was asking the question.

Jin decided to give Yoshimitsu half the answer. "After the tournament, I plan to hand the medallion over to Raiden and Rose. From there, they will see to it's destruction."

"Excellent," Yoshimitsu replied. "I have heard of Raiden before… a great Thunder God indeed. I believe you've made a good choice. You are indeed worthy of victory tomorrow."

A question popped into Jin's head. "Have you talked to Ivy about the medallion?"

Immediately, Yoshimitsu shook his head. "No… as a matter of fact, I don't think she even has a room in the palace."

To Jin, there seemed to be only one reason for that. "Do you think she may be allied with Shao Kahn?"

"It's possible," Yoshimitsu replied. "But that may not be true either. Do keep it in mind… just in case."

From there, Yoshimitsu began walking away. As he did, he spoke one last time. "Good luck tomorrow."

Jin nodded with a single reply. He took a deep sigh as thoughts came to him. In his own point of view, he's never even heard about Ivy until the sixth round of the tournament. Now with Yoshimitsu's mention of her not having a room in the palace, there was a possibility that she may be working for Shao Kahn. Of course, that might not be true, but the young man wouldn't be surprised if it was.

And if Ivy did work for Shao Kahn, it was another reason for him to be determined in winning his match tomorrow.

Tomorrow… Jin was going to have a big responsibility…


	61. Chapter Sixty

_The day of the final round of The Blood Tournament has arrived…_

**_Mid-Afternoon_ **

**Forest**

Since noon after having some lunch, Jin Kazama trained immensely, more than he has ever trained since arriving here in Outworld. Mostly, he did some meditation and katas, but also performed some of his own moves, pretending as though his opponent was right in front of him at this very moment. His mind was completely cleared from any thoughts.

Jin always believed that he would make it far into the tournament. It seemed like ages since he received an invitation to this very tournament back at home in the middle of the night. The invitation had stated that he had been chosen to attend simply because he was one of the best of the best fighters in the universe. It was the type of opportunity one couldn't resist, getting the chance to fight some of the best fighters known to exist.

The young man, upon arriving at the docks the day of departure, was expecting things to go as it normally would at any tournament. However, not even a day goes by when he was suddenly chosen by Raiden to be a part of his Chosen Ones. Throughout most of their time here, the group's main focus has been to make sure that, by the end of the tournament, that _Chishio No Me_ doesn't fall into the wrong hands… the hands of evil.

Now here they were in the final round of The Blood Tournament. Since the end of Round Six, Jin has been the only Chosen One in the tournament. With that, his allies and leaders now rely on him to make sure to win the medallion.

Today, Jin would do just that.

As he continued to train, Raiden showed up from behind him. For a while, Raiden believed that it was best to not disrupt one of his chosen ones, especially at a crucial time like this.

Soon, Jin turned around and noticed the Thunder God standing a couple of yards away. Raiden smirked before saying, "Good afternoon Jin."

Jin straightened himself out before bowing to Raiden in respect. "Good afternoon."

"I see that you're practicing for the tournament later."

Jin nodded. "Yes… what time is it?"

"You only have another three hours before the match begins," Raiden mentioned. He then paced himself a little before proceeding. "I must say… I'm quite proud of you and everyone else here in the cave. You all have done quite well with contributing with our cause."

"Yes," Jin replied with a nod. "And let's hope that I emerge the victor in the tournament."

Raiden stopped himself from pacing then. "Let me give you some advice… just something for your thoughts if you feel you get any doubts; Put your mind into the fight and nothing more or less. I want to say more, but I have a good feeling that you've received good guidance throughout your life."

Jin forced himself to smirk, knowing that he was able to half-lie. "You could say that."

"Now you remember," Raiden continued. "Upon your return to the cave after the tournament, hand over the medallion to Rose and I."

"I shall," Jin agreed. Indeed he does plan to give his two leaders the medallion… but he also wanted to rid his devil gene first beforehand.

He would have to come up with some sort of plan to do this without being noticed…

"And if you do happen to be defeated," Raiden proceeded. "Do not stress about it. What matters most is that you have done well. No matter the outcome, you will represent the Chosen Ones with honor."

"Thank you Raiden," Jin answered. "But I'll make sure that I win on behalf of all of us. I won't fail."

Raiden nodded. "Now let's head back to the cave. I prefer that you get some read and perhaps a quick bite to eat. This way, you'll have some more energy for the fight."

"Sounds like a good idea," Jin agreed.

With that, the two began heading back to the cave.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Throughout the late morning and early afternoon, Ivy Valentine trained with her sword inside Shao Kahn's throne room. Normally, she would train herself outside in the forest nearby, but Shao Kahn had insisted that she'd train in his throne room. This way, she would have more privacy and practice without any disruption.

Ivy was able to keep her focus on her training. Once in a while, she would do some katas. Mostly though, she would perform her favorite moves with her sword, switching on and off between making her sword coil or uncoil.

Once in a while, thoughts played in her mind. It suddenly felt like only yesterday when one of her servants delivered her the envelope to her while she was training. So much has happened since then that she had completely forgotten the original reason why she joined with Shao Kahn… long before she discovered the medallion, a powerful artifact that would hold the key to finally freeing her from her own curse.

The last thought had been Ivy's motivation all throughout The Blood Tournament. She tried to stay as positive as possible during her time here. Now here she was. Ivy was now only one step away from retrieving the medallion for herself and could have it in her very own hands within the next few hours.

She only hoped that she doesn't fall one step short.

Ivy wasn't sure how long she had been training by the time she heard footsteps coming into the throne room. Ivy turned around and saw the Emperor himself walking in. Eventually, he stopped just a few feet away from her.

"You seem to be training quite well," Shao Kahn said. "At this point, I suggest that you rest a bit. That way, you will save some of your energy for your match."

"Perhaps I should," Ivy agreed. "I am a bit hungry."

"I have already ordered the servants to prepare you a quick meal in your quarters," the Emperor mentioned.

Ivy couldn't help but smirk over his generosity. She was quite sure that he doesn't make those sort of orders for anyone else in the fortress. "Thank you," she only said.

"Now," Shao Kahn began. "It won't be long before you retain the medallion for us with you being the primary owner. So I wonder… what do you plan to do with the artifact if you win?"

Ivy didn't answer the question right away. It wasn't just about getting rid of the curse upon her shoulder. But she knew that she would be leaving Outworld soon enough, having served her own purpose here.

Obviously, that was one thing she was not going to mention to the Emperor.

"I'm not quite sure as of now," Ivy eventually answered. "After all, there is no rush to think of something to wish for. The medallion's power is limitless, therefore I have plenty of time to think of what I truly want to do with it."

"I see," Shao Kahn nodded.

Another question came to Ivy. "So, will you be watching my match?"

"I won't be," the Emperor replied. "I believe that my presence there is unnecessary. Instead, I will be staying here in the fortress. However, once the tournament is over, one of the Shadow Priests who will be attending will inform me of the results."

Before Ivy could speak again, another set of footsteps entered the throne room. Both Ivy and Shao Kahn turned their heads and noticed the sorcerer Shang Tsung walking over towards them. They both stared at him until he was a couple of yards away.

Shang Tsung turned his head to Shao Kahn and briefly bowed his head to him. Immediately afterwards, he turned his head to the young woman next to him.

"The match will begin in just one hour."

Ivy replied with a single nodded. The time has finally come…

~~~

**One Hour Later, Courtyard**

Shang Tsung could hear the sound of people talking amongst themselves as he approached his throne. He stood in front of the seat and briefly looked at his surroundings. The crowd had not only gathered themselves around the Courtyard ring. The sorcerer could also see some of them up on the hills not too far from here and a few of them sat themselves on the thick branches of surrounding trees in order to get a better view of the ring.

The sorcerer smirked to himself. It would seem as though everyone who has attended the tournament was here, at least those who have… survived up to this point.

For Shang Tsung, the first round of the tournament suddenly seemed so far away. In the beginning, hundreds of fighters from all over the realms came here to Outworld to fight the best of the best in hopes of becoming the winner. Now, out of those hundreds of people, two of them have advanced to the final round. The winner would receive Chishio No Me, the artifact in which the sorcerer had with him at this very moment.

As the viewers began to quiet down upon seeing the sorcerer, Shang Tsung turned his head to the right. He saw Ivy standing just behind the ring staring up at him. She was Shao Kahn's only hope in retaining the medallion.

 _You better win this,_ the sorcerer thought. _I can only imagine what the Emperor has in store for you if you fail._ _'_

Shang Tsung then turned his head to his left and saw Jin Kazama standing there. The young man looked up at him as well. Next to him, a young woman with her blonde hair in two long braids had her arms linked around his one arm and she had briefly whispered in her ear, mouthing a 'good luck' before turning her attention to the ring.

Soon, he turned his attention to everyone. "Greetings! It has been a long-time coming, but today, you will finally see the results of The Blood Tournament! Two warriors will compete and one will emerge the victor!" Shang Tsung then reached into his pocket, taking out the medallion before raising it above his head for all to see. "The winner will receive this… along with it, all the unlimited power in the world!"

The sorcerer then placed the medallion back in his pocket. "Now, without further ado, the match shall begin!"

Silence lingered as the viewers awaited for the match to start. This time, the sorcerer took the opportunity to let the silence linger longer than normal. Soon, however, he called upon the first of the two fighters.

"Jin Kazama!"

Jin took a deep breath upon hearing his name being called. As he entered the ring, he tried not to think about the fact that his fellow allies were relying on him to win. It would only add more pressure if he thought about it anyway. Jin knew that he would do better in the match if he only focused on the fight at hand.

It was Raiden's advice to him after all.

Soon, Jin reached the middle of the ring. Normally, he would stretch himself out a bit, but this time he didn't. He had done so much training for the past forty-eight hours that he felt that it wasn't really necessary.

After more silence lingered, Shang Tsung announced his opponent.

"Ivy Valentine!"

With confidence, Ivy walked herself into the ring. Normally she would have her sword in her hand, but she decided to keep it in it's scabbard behind her back just for a moment.

Soon, Jin and Ivy were only just a foot away from each other. They were both very close to being the same height so it was easy for them to have a stare down. After weeks of fighting their way through the tournament, it now came down to this… and both were determined to leave the ring the winner.

After a moment, Ivy showed off a side smirk. "I promise you won't suffer… much."

Jin got himself into a fighting stance without saying a word. Ivy's smirk disappeared then as she grabbed on to the hilt of her sword.

Shang Tsung smirked as he saw that the two were ready for battle. He sat down at his throne and soon yelled out a single word…

"Begin!"

For a while, the two of them stared at each other as they waited for the other to make the first move. The wait was already making everyone watching a bit antsy as they couldn't wait for the official results of the tournament.

Then, at the same time, they both quickly covered the small space between then and they soon began their match. Jin was able to quickly get himself on offense as he attacked Ivy with punches aimed at her from different directions. Using her forearm, Ivy was able to block his attacks for a bit.

Then, Jin was able to land a punch on Ivy's face. He then followed it with a spinning roundhouse kick smacking her with some lightning surrounding his foot. Ivy was forced to stumble sideways for a couple of feet, but she quickly regained her footing.

As soon as Jin was closer to her again, Ivy rammed her shoulder into his chest, causing him to lose his breath for a moment. Taking this opportunity while he was briefly distracted, Ivy quickly crouches down to perform a full-circled sweep kick. However, Jin was able to catch this time and he quickly jumped over her leg before she was able to trip him. Ivy then quickly got herself up giving Jin the chance to perform a spinning back kick, a maneuver that caught Ivy right in her face again.

"Ugh!" Ivy cried out as she stumbled back. Feeling her face throbbing now, she narrowed her blue eyes at the young man. "You're an impressive fighter… but _I'm_ only getting warmed up!"

Her sword already in her hand, Ivy quickly spin herself around while lashing her weapon causing the blade to uncoil into eight pieces. Jin's eyes widened a bit upon seeing this… he had nearly forgotten that she could do this.

Quickly, Ivy extended her blade out forward at Jin's feet. Just as fast, Jin jumped above the tip of the blade, causing Ivy to miss. He flew forward and attempted to aim his feet at her, but Ivy got herself out of the way, forcing Jin to land back on the ground.

Ivy then attempted to elbow Jin the face, but he moved out of the way, leaving her open. He then managed to grab her arm, spinning around while jumping in the air before somersaulting to the ground, forcing Ivy to land on her back.

By then, Ivy's blade was coiled once again. She drew in a breath as she felt the pain going up and down her back. As Jin got himself back up on his feet, Ivy rolled herself back to give enough space between her and Jin.

"You'll pay for that!" she yelled out.

Quickly then, Jin ran towards her and he performed various attacks on Ivy again. Ivy was forced to block, but not for long this time. Using her sword, she briefly charged up some energy before it swinging it sideways towards Jin's midsection. The blade was suddenly surrounded by a fiery fire and Jin quickly maneuvered himself back to avoid the attack. As the blade was inches away as it passed him, he was able to feel the extreme heat from the fire.

 _That was close!_ he thought.

Once the blade was completely passed him, Jin lifted his left foot and kicked one of Ivy's knees, causing her to bend down in pain. This gave him the chance to lift his right foot to kick her in the face, forcing her to stumble to the ground.

Only being briefly distracted by the pain, Ivy quickly turned herself on her back and once again extended her sword out. Jin moved himself out of the way again once he saw this. However, when the sword began retracting itself, the tip reached for Jin's left leg and wrapped itself around his leg.

"What the-" Jin was beginning to say. Suddenly, Ivy pulled her sword back, forcing Jin to go flying in the air before landing hard on his back.

Ivy got herself back on her feet while she still had Jin in her hold. "Having fun yet?"

Quickly, she pulled her sword and forced Jin to go flying passed her. He flew another few feet before he found himself skidding on the ground. Soon he came to a stop… just inches away from the edge of the ring.

Being close to the viewers now, Jin was able to hear them chanting various things. He was able to hear a couple of 'Go Jin!' chants, most likely from his allies.

Just hearing that alone gave him more encouragement.

Slowly, Jin got himself back on his feet before turning his head to Ivy, who stood where she was as she waited. The young man took another deep breath before he began running towards her again. Ivy got herself in her own fighting stance, ready to battle again.

Quickly, Jin launched an axe kick, a move Ivy dodged herself from. She then attempted a back kick at his stomach, but Jin was able to block her with both of his hands in time. Then, he performed a side kick in which Ivy blocked as well. He then performed a double lift kick with the second kick connecting to Ivy's chin, forcing her head to snap back. He then followed up the move with a roundhouse, forcing her to stumble back again.

After recovering, Ivy jumped up in the air and lashed her uncoiled sword downward. Jin attempted to get out of the way. However, one of the blades managed to cut his shoulder, sending out a stinging sensation as small amount of blood was drawn out.

From there, Ivy attempted to attack with her sword again. However, Jin was able to get passed her attack and performed a double punch with one fist quickly following the other. The last punch was powerful enough to force her to fly back a few feet before crashing back into the ground.

Jin stood where he was as Ivy slowly got herself back up after the attack. As she did, Jin raised both of his fists in front of him. A glowing red aura surrounded both of his closed hands.

 _It's time to finish this,_ he thought to himself with determination.

Soon, Ivy was back on her feet. She swung her sword a couple of times in front of her and it surrounded itself with electricity. She narrowed her eyes at Jin.

 _I think it's about time this ends_ _,_ she thought to herself.

The two started at each other for a moment as they recollected their energy. Each one felt their sweat on their bodies and they both found themselves catching their breath. Both of them were ready to end the match… but neither one of them knew that the other was thinking the same thing they were.

Gathering up the last of their energy, Jin and Ivy began to run after one another, the both of them letting out their battle cries.

Soon, they both covered the space between them. Jin lowered himself down, his glowing fist prepared for a powerful uppercut. Before he was able to perform the move, Ivy quickly dodged herself out of the way and managed to get herself behind him.

Jin was caught by surprise, not expecting her to move out of the way. He attempted to regain himself from his own attack. However, before he could, Ivy's uncoiled sword suddenly extended and tied itself around Jin's body. Ivy then pulled him forward with his back turned to her and she held the hilt of her sword just next to his neck.

"My sword… _SCREAM!_ " she yelled out.

Suddenly, a group of lighting energies in various different colors surrounded the two. Then, one by one, they shot themselves into Jin's midsection, each one causing him to clench his teeth more in sheer pain. Soon, the last one, a red color, entered him and what sounded like an explosion was heard.

Then, all was silent.

Once the move was complete, Ivy released her hold on Jin, her sword reconnecting itself again into a full blade. Upon releasing him, Jin fell down to his knees as a soft moan escaped his lips. He seemed to tried to hang in there for a moment. Soon, he fell the rest of the way forward with his head facing sideways while on his stomach.

The final attack had rendered him unconscious…

All the viewers were dead silent as they all stared into the ring. Ignoring their reaction, Ivy placed her sword back in it's scabbard as she looked down at Jin's unconscious form.

 _It seems…this is the end,_ she thought.

At his throne, Shang Tsung stood himself up. He looked over at the viewers at his made the same type of announcement he always had… for the final time.

"Winner: Ivy Valentine!"

After hearing the announcement and the clapping of the viewers around her, the fact began to sink into Ivy's mind. She always had confidence that she would win the tournament. Now that she did, it suddenly seemed like a surreal moment for her.

Ivy Valentine had won The Blood Tournament.

As she took in the moment, Shang Tsung approached her. Ivy turned her eyes to him. The two stared at each other for a moment before he reached a hand to her. Ivy looked down and saw _Chishio No Me_ in his hand.

"You have won the tournament," Shang Tsung said. "You are indeed well deserving of the medallion."

Ivy kept staring down at the medallion. Did this powerful artifact really belong to her now? She was a bit hesitant for a moment, but soon she took it into her hand. Ivy got a closer look at the medallion…but for some reason, she didn't feel impressed by it and she couldn't understand why.

Besides, this was the very artifact that would finally break Ivy's curse…

Shang Tsung then went into a whisper. "Shao Kahn will be most pleased."

Ivy nodded. "Yes… he will be indeed…"

So ended The Blood Tournament…

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress, A Few Minutes Later…**

In the throne room, Shao Kahn sat at his throne quietly as he awaited word of the results of the tournament. He always had a feeling that the results would go either way, but he believed that the win would be on his side.

 _She better not fail,_ Shao Kahn thought to himself about Ivy.

It was at that moment that a purple portal developed just a few yards away. Shao Kahn eyed the portal as a Shadow Priest exited. As soon as it did, the portal disintegrated and the Shadow Priest walked a few more feet forward.

This was it. The Emperor was about to find out the results.

Shao Kahn nodded at the Shadow Priest. Immediately after, it lifted up a hand and a card appeared in it's hand. Then, it threw the card forward and it soon landed just in front of the Emperor's feet.

He looked down at the card and saw the picture. The picture contained a woman holding a sword and was surrounded by a purple aura.

Shao Kahn immediately realized that Ivy had indeed won the tournament.

He looked up at the Shadow Priest again and nodded. A purple portal appeared behind the Shadow Priest, who floated backwards back into it before it disintegrated.

Once he was alone, a grin came over Shao Kahn's face. For a moment, he tried to withhold a laugh. However, he soon opened his mouth and let loose a sadistic laugh that echoed all around the throne room.

This was all because, with Ivy's win, the plans he had developed since the beginning will now go smoothly without interruption…


	62. Chapter Sixty-One

**_Three Hours After the End of The Blood Tournament…_ **

**Forest Area**

It was only an hour ago when Jin Kazama woke up on his bed… with a major headache. For a moment, he had felt confusion as he tried to remember what happened before he blacked out.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks… he was knocked out unconscious by his fighting opponent Ivy Valentine. He had lost The Blood Tournament, his only chance at finally lifting his curse. Not only that, but the thought over the fact that a group of people were depending on his win was beginning to dwell on him.

Cammy was at his side when he woke up with an ice pack ready in her hand. She had informed him that everyone had forgiven him and to not worry over his loss.

"Raiden and Rose are going to try to think of a plan B in our mission," Cammy had mentioned.

Jin hadn't said much other than, "May I be alone for a while?" Even if everyone did forgive him, he still felt down about his loss. He just needed some time alone so that he could make peace with what happened.

Without informing anyone, Jin went out to the forest to meditate. It was the only place in Outworld where he felt relaxed. Besides, it really was the only place where he could get some alone time without any noise around him.

Jin knew that he had spent a short time meditating as he reflected on his day. He felt a bit grim as he remembered what caused him to lose the tournament. Ivy had saw the uppercut that he attempted to perform. Her quick maneuver around him had led him to become vulnerable and she was able to lay down her final attack on him.

 _If only I was more careful…_ the young man thought with a sigh.

As he continued to meditate, a sudden flash of an image came before him. The image only lasted for a second, but Jin was able to instantly recognize it. It was none other than the devil form of himself!

Jin's eyes quickly snapped opened upon the realization. Having gasped quick and deeply, he suddenly found himself catching his breath as he attempted to recollected his thoughts. He even felt his heart quickly pounding against his ribcage.

 _Have I dazed out into a dream?_ he thought. _Or did I-_

His thoughts were quickly interrupted upon hearing a set of footsteps coming from behind him. Jin didn't bother to turn his head around to see the person as he slowly got himself on his feet. He expected the person to be someone he knew in the tournament… Cammy, Raiden, perhaps even Yoshimitsu again. Soon, the person spoke.

"I've been waiting for you to either win or lose for quite some time."

Jin gasped and his eyes widened in surprise as he instantly recognized this voice… a voice he did not expect to hear. The young man quickly whirled himself around to see the very man he despised… his own grandfather, Heihachi Mishima. Heihachi himself stood there with his arms folded and he possessed an amused smirk on his face.

"You've been here the whole time?!" Jin called out.

Heihachi chuckled. "You sound surprised, Jin. You should know your own grandfather by now… how could I resist a tournament such as this? Even before I came here, I knew that you would be here… and I simply waited for the right time to approach you."

Jin narrowed his eyes at Heihachi. "I know you're intentions… the same that you have done since day one… using me as bait for your own gain in your corporation. You almost got me that day, but it won't happen again."

"Bold words," Heihachi replied. "And you're pretty close about my intentions… but not close enough. I plan to extract the Devil Gene out of you… for my own gain of course, under one condition… you're death." He then grinned. “Oh yes, you're right... is was _exactly_ how it happened that day.”

Normally, Jin would raise his fist and would gladly fight the one man he despised more than anything right here and right now. However, he knew that he was in no condition to fight, not after today.

"You want it so badly," Jin began to say to him. "Then you can come try and get it… but not today. We'll hold our own battle when we return to Earth."

Heihachi's grin had faded by then and he slightly nodded. "Very well then." He then turned around and began walking away from Jin. "Be at the Mishima Zaibatsu within the next week or two."

Jin said nothing as he watched his grandfather disappear behind the trees. He thought about the last sentence the older man had just said… he wanted to meet him at his own corporation. Jin wasn't stupid… he knew that would only lead him into a trap. The only thing he could try to do is find a way to lure Heihachi _out_ of the facility.

He'll have to see…

~~~

**Beach Area**

Looking out at the scenery in front of them, Mika, Cassandra, Asuka, Sakura, and Maki sat down together just a few feet away from the water. They found themselves mostly quiet for some time before Mika finally broke the silence.

"Well… unless something comes up tomorrow, it looks like we are all going home," Mika said.

"Yeah," replied Asuka. "But let's think of it this way… although we've had some bad times, there are also the good memories."

"Like when we all tumbled into the men's hot springs when the fence broke," Cassandra chuckled.

Maki chuckled a bit before replying. "And our karaoke nights… until the batteries on the machine ran out."

"And our times here at the beach," said Mika. She then found herself frowning a bit. "I wish Ibuki was still here to enjoy this with us."

"Yeah," sighed Asuka. "But I know she would've wanted us to move on rather than dwell on what happened…"

For another moment, the five girls were silent as one of the grimmest memories in Outworld came back to them. The silence, however, didn't last very long before Sakura spoke.

"I really wish Jin had won the tournament," she said. "But I guess it wasn't meant to be."

"I'm sure that Raiden and Rose will come up with a new plan to get the medallion back," said Asuka.

"I'm sure they will," said Mika.

Silence lingered again, but only for a few seconds before Maki spoke. "I think in the end when we all head home… we're definitely going to miss each other."

"Yes we will," said Sakura. "With all of us living in Japan and Cassandra living in another world, it's definitely not going to be the same without you guys."

"Let's just enjoy the time we have together now," suggested Mika.

From there, the five of them continued with their chatter.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Ten minutes ago, Ivy Valentine was asked to meet with Shao Kahn in his throne room. By that time, she was just beginning to get herself prepared as she was going to leave for Keisei in the morning when the other tournament participants depart.

Quietly, she entered the throne room and saw Shao Kahn sitting at his throne as soon as she passed the doors to the large room. He watched her as she approached the throne, soon stopping just a few feet away.

"Congratulations on your win the tournament," Shao Kahn said. "You've done well."

Ivy nodded to him. "Thank you." A smirk came over her face then. "I knew that I would emerge the victor."

Shao Kahn then stood up and walked over to her, soon stopping just a couple of feet from her. Ivy found herself looking up at him, nearly forgetting how tall the Emperor was. His presence would normally intimidate others… yet for some reason, she didn't feel afraid of him.

"Have you brought the medallion with you as I requested?" he asked.

Ivy nodded as she took the medallion out of her pocket and held it in front of her. "Yes, I've brought it with me."

"Good," Shao Kahn said. "Now, let me ask you this… how does it feel to have such a power within your hands?"

Ivy looked down at the artifact for a moment. She still didn't feel impressed by it as it looked up at her with it's single eye.

"To be quite honest, I feel nothing," Ivy replied.

Shao Kahn nodded. "That is because you are holding a replica in your hand."

Ivy looked up at the Emperor with her blue eyes widened as he reached a hand out… now holding the _real_ medallion. This medallion seemed more life-like as the red tear slightly glowed in a slow rhythm.

"I believe you wanted this," he said.

Ivy dropped the fake medallion to the ground and she slowly took the real thing into her hands. "Why was I given a replica in the first place?" she asked as she stared at the artifact.

"For two reasons," Shao Kahn replied. "Just in case Shang Tsung decided to double cross me and just in case Jin ended up winning the tournament instead."

Now Ivy understood as she looked up at him. "Good plan," she commended.

"Now," Shao Kahn began to say. "There was another reason I called you down here."

Ivy nodded to him as she awaited for his word.

"It's… quite a rare offer if I say so myself," he continued. "It's a little plan I've had for myself since the beginning of the tournament. You have proven your loyalty to me despite the short time you've been here. And your win in the tournament proved to me of your strength and your dedication to fighting."

Then to Ivy's surprise, the Emperor reached a hand up and slightly brushed her cheek with his fingers. She stared up at him as he did this and in her mind, she knew that Shao Kahn's other minions would probably drop dead with surprise if they ever saw this.

Shao Kahn then proceeded. "It's been quite some time since Outworld had an Empress. It's the perfect title for you. Come rule Outworld by my side."

Although Ivy was very flattered by the offer, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Here she was planning to leave Outworld with the medallion and now here's a man, who believes that she's completely loyal to him, making a type of offer she was sure every woman dreamed of.

Now, however, she was beginning to understand why the Emperor seemed to call her over to the throne all the time since her arrival here. It was because he had a bit of an infatuation with her. She never believed that he was capable of those types of feelings… but she guessed that even someone like Shao Kahn can possess that after all.

Even after those thoughts, Ivy still was sure whether to take the offer. She had been planning to leave here since day one after the tournament was over… but now with an offer such a this, she was now finding herself conflicted.

Still not sure what to do, Ivy gave him the answer she knew he wanted to hear…

"Yes… I accept."

~~~

**Cave**

It was mostly quiet all around, which was something Julia wanted right at the moment. She hummed to herself a little as she took her time to place all of her belongings in her two duffle bags. It only took her a half hour to complete her packing and she doubled check all around her room just to make sure she got everything.

Afterward, Julia sat down on her bed, sighing a little as she looked around the small room. Depending on the circumstances for tomorrow, Julia and the other Chosen Ones were going to be heading home in the morning.

To Julia, it was kind of strange when she thought about it… she had grown used to being here after living here for over a month, and now she would have to adjust to being back on Earth again. However, she was quite sure that getting used to being back wouldn't last very long.

Another sigh escaped the young woman's lips as she thought about all that has happened, especially the events that took place during the last few days. Just a couple of nights ago, she finally found out the answers she has been searching for nearly two years. Her mother Michele had been kidnapped and brainwashed into an assassin. A couple of months later, she was killed by the man she was supposed to assassinate… that man being Ryu.

That was all according to Sagat, who formerly worked for Shadaloo. It was through his own words so Julia didn't want to believe him completely unless he presented her with solid evidence.

 _But… what if it was true?_ she thought sadly.

She then thought about Ryu. They've hardly spoken since her discovery. The two had planned for him to come to Arizona with her for a couple of weeks upon their return to Earth… but even now Julia wasn't sure if that would happen now…

One thing was for sure… despite what (may) had happened, Julia's feelings for Ryu were still there. However, the thought of the fact that he may have been responsible for Michelle's death still lingered in the back of her mind.

A thought suddenly came to her then… a thought that concerned Shadaloo. According to Sagat, Michelle had been killed a few months after she had been kidnapped… and she had gone missing two years ago.

 _If that's the case,_ she began to ask herself. _And the fact that they knew of me… why only now was I informed of what happened to my mother?_

Julia has heard the organization's name in the news before, but never really looked into them as she wasn't interested at the time. Her encounter with Sagat only left her with more questions than answers.

She made the decision that, upon her return to Earth, she would start her own research on Shadaloo. Perhaps that way, she'll find the answers to her questions and perhaps more information behind what happened to Michelle.

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

"Ah the smell of burning marshmallows," said Cody as he deeply inhaled.

Guy narrowed his eyes a bit as a thought came to him. "Didn't we run out of these a couple of days ago?" he asked suspiciously.

An evil grin came over Cody's face. "They were out of marshmallows… in the lounge room, but no one ever asked about the ones in my room."

Guy sighed a little. "Only you Cody."

The two long-time friends roasted the last remaining bag of marshmallows over the open blaze in the campfire. Once each marshmallow was roasted, they would bring the sticks closer so that they would bite into the white fluffy treat.

"I must admit," Cody began to say after swallowing. "I'm kind of going to miss this place. It's sort of what you call a place to get away from the ordinary."

"I would rather have been just simply out of the country," Guy replied. "But at least we had a good reason to be here."

"That's true," the blonde-haired man nodded. "Speaking of going back to Earth, what do you plan to do once you get back to Earth?"

"Just continue with my training," Guy answered. "I'm sure some of the students at the dojo will be eager to spar with me upon my return."

"I can only imagine," Cody laughed. "As for me, I'll be returning to Metro City… most likely hearing a lecture from Jessica for leaving her so quickly… and also probably try to get my brother Kyle out of trouble for something stupid."

Guy only nodded in reply. He's heard Cody talk about his younger brother before, but even with the long time he's known him, he's never actually met Kyle before.

At one point, Cody reached into the bag of marshmallows and searched with his hand for a moment. "Damn! We went through that bag pretty fast."

"In that case," Guy began to say as he stood himself up. "Let's head out to the springs."

"I wouldn't mind," Cody replied. He ended up yawning a bit before proceeding. "But I already went to the springs this morning. Besides, sleep is starting to take over."

"All right," Guy said. "I won't be gone for too long then."

"Going by yourself?" Cody then chuckled. "Here you go breaking the rule Raiden and Rose laid out… don't leave the cave grounds without someone with you."

"I know," Guy said. "But I prefer to be alone anyway." He then began to walk off. "I'll be back in an hour."

"All right then," Cody called out. "But don't come crying to me if the boogie man gets you."

Taking a bucket in his hands, Cody dumped some water into the campfire causing the fire to go out. He then stood himself up before placing the bucket back where he found it. From there, he began to return to the cave as Guy headed to the springs.

~~~

**Nearby…**

After eating a late dinner at the palace, Sonya, Li Mei, and Alex began heading back to the cave. At this point, they were about three quarters away from the cave ground entrance.

The three of them mostly talked about today's match, all feeling a bit depressed about Jin's loss, but know that he had tried his best. Soon enough, Li Mei decided to change the subject.

"I think I came to a decision," she said.

Sonya and Alex looked over at the Outworld native. "What kind of decision?" asked Alex.

"About what I want to do after the tournament's over," Li Mei replied. "I always knew that I wanted to get out of Outworld and after debating in my mind, I think I want to come to Earth."

"Earth is definitely different from here," Sonya mentioned.

"I know," Li Mei said. "But I thought long and hard about it and since I know more people from Earth than any other realm, I think that would be a good place to start."

An idea came to Alex. "You could even stay at my apartment once we get back. Just until you get settled there of course."

Li Mei smiled. "Thanks. I definitely appreciate it."

Alex then sighed a little. "I must admit though… I'm kind of not looking forward to going back, knowing that I'm going to hear lip from the General about my sudden departure as soon as we get back to the office."

"Try not to worry about until we get to the base," said Sonya. "No matter what happens, you know that I will back you up."

Alex nodded. "I know you will."

At that point, Li Mei found herself yawning. "We definitely better get to sleep soon," she suggested. "If we do leave here tomorrow, then it's definitely going to be a long trip."

"A day's worth if I remember correctly," mentioned Sonya.

It was at that moment that Sonya heard her name being called. The blonde-haired agent turned her head to the voice and spotted Guile along with Wagner nearby.

"What's going on Colonel?" Sonya asked as soon as she, Li Mei, and Alex approached the two.

"New information just came in thanks to Guile's personal investigation," announced Wagner.

"Do tell," said Alex.

Guile then looked at Sonya. "The woman you encountered the other day… I discovered her room number in the main palace."

"Kira," Sonya mumbled a bit. She then looked up again. "Well this is good," she said with a stronger voice. "This was the very reason we came here to Outworld. Perhaps we can pay her a visit right now."

"Bad idea," Wagner said. "Turns out the main palace is guarded heavily during the night, especially within the last few days. It's not good to try to make that sort of fuss at this hour."

"So we'll have to make an arrest first thing in the morning," Guile said.

Sonya huffed a little. "I think it's better to arrest her tonight… but I guess we might as well wait until morning. We just have to get it done before it gets busy down there." She then sighed a little. "I just hope that she's still there when we get there."

"Crack of dawn, you and I will go," Guile suggested to Sonya. "She'll most likely be sleeping and we'll be able to catch her off guard that way."

"All right we'll do that then," Sonya nodded. "Let's head back to the cave and get some rest."

With that, the five of them began heading back.

Unknown to them, however, a shadowed figure happened to have watched the five of them from behind a tree. The figure was lurking around the area as he was on an assignment under the Emperor's orders.

Originally, he was in a disguise, but just before moving into the light of the moon, he changed his form. The moon's light soon revealed Shang Tsung.

He was originally asked by Shao Kahn to look over things in the palace for a few hours after the tournament had ended. However, just now, he ended up making his own discovery he never expected to find. Turns out that there was a group lurking about outside of the palace and are living in a cave.

Shang Tsung remembered Sonya all too clearly. She was one of Raiden's chosen ones during the Mortal Kombat tournament.

 _Now that I think about it,_ the sorcerer thought. _Perhaps the Thunder God is here?_

He wouldn't put it passed that if that turned out to be true.

Then he noticed Li Mei. He didn't recognize her right away, until he remembere Sun Do.

 _So… she's the one who escaped,_ he thought. _Perhaps maybe I'll try capture her again… this time for my own reasons._

Then he noticed Alex. Upon seeing her, he suddenly felt surprised. The last time she had seen her, she was being tortured at the hands of the monster Berserk.

 _I see that you did survive after all,_ he thought.

After thinking through his discoveries, the sorcerer decided to come up with a plan for his own gains. Deciding to take the time to do so, he disappears within the darkness of the night.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

In one of the more hidden halls of the fortress, two guards stood in front of a large door with one standing near each end. All was quiet in the area with the exception of a few distant creaking noises that the fortress occasionally made.

"So the tournament has finally ended," the first guard said after a long-time of silence.

"Indeed," replied the second guard. "It's sure a good thing that one of Shao Kahn's 'special ones' won."

"There is supposed to be a meeting tonight," the first guard mentioned. "Not sure what it's going to be about, but something tells me that it's going to be of great importance."

"Do you think it may have something to do with why the Emperor was so obsessed with recruiting new members?"

The first guard shrugged. "Perhaps. We'll have to see."

The two fell silent for a while, not sure of what else to say. Eventually, a thought came up in the second guard's mind.

"Do you think we're approaching this whole thing right?"

The first guard looked at him a bit suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, don't you think that we should hold off planning anything for a bit, especially since the tournament had just ended this evening?"

The area suddenly seemed to get eerie as the first guard narrowed his eyes at his fellow guard. "You know… you would be suspected of treason if the Emperor heard you say those words."

The second guard looked at him in shock. "Are you accusing me of being a possible traitor?"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be asking such questions."

Feeling frustrated suddenly, the second guard walked right up to this fellow guard. "Well I am no traitor!" he said with the volume of his voice rising.

"Step away from me or else-"

"Or else what?" the second guard asked him daringly.

Feeling frustrated himself now, the first guard pushed him back. He only went a couple of feet before he lunged himself forward, tackling the first guard against the wall. The two fought for a bit, kicking, punching and pulling at each other's hair.

In the frenzy of the fight, neither one of them realized for a while that they had ended up crashing through the door they were supposed to guard. The two fought more until the first guard received the upper hand, taking the second guard by the neck before throwing him against one of the machines in the room.

The body weight of the second guard forced down the buttons on the machines. A low humming noise was heard. The first guard looked around in surprise, finally realizing where they were now.

"Quick!" he yelled out at the second guard. "We have to reactivate the-"

But by then it was too late. The machine had activated two blue auras, each one containing a stoned table along with two individuals… those two being Akuma and Scorpion!

Since after the fifth round of the tournament, these two had been in sleep-like states after being captured by the Emperor's minions at his request. The reason for their capture was for Shao Kahn to obtain their power by using the medallion, powers that were necessary for his plans.

Now the auras had disappeared and the bodies of Akuma and Scorpion fell on to the stoned table, waking them both up. For the moment, the two of them felt a bit dazed as they slowly themselves up.

The two guards in the room could only watch in surprise…at least until they were both able to regain their senses the moment the two demons looked up at them. Now fearing their lives, the two guards attempted to get themselves out of the room. However, the two demons were able to teleport themselves, one going after each guard. Both managed to grab them from behind before a loud _snap!_ was heard as the guards' necks were broken with little effort from the demons.

After the guards dropped to the ground dead, Akuma and Scorpion briefly stared at each other for a moment. No expression were written on either of their eyes and it almost as though these two were thinking about fighting right there.

However, both had agendas to attend to beforehand.

Without saying anything, the two demons began to make their escape out of the fortress, the two going into different directions as soon as they got out the door.

~~~

**Forest**

Walking through a trail after spending some time relaxing in the hot springs, Guy was beginning to head back over to the cave. On his shoulder was a white towel that he had used while in the springs.

Guy's mind was completely cleared from any thought, save for one. He was definitely looking forward to getting some rest for the night. The sooner he was in the bed, the sooner he would finally make the trip back to Earth. He didn't really think about it when he was chatting with Cody before, but there was one thing he was looking forward to…seeing the bright blue sky again.

As he continued walking, Guy then began to realize something. All was quiet around him. He listened in for a moment to at least try to hear something.

Now that he was listening, he realized that all was _too_ quiet.

Before he could move forward, Guy once again saw flashes before him. _Not again…_ he thought as he held his head with his fingers on either side of his temples. For a moment, Guy was only able to see white flashes that seemed to appear every second.

Then, as he expected, Rena appeared in front of him.

"Guy!" she called out.

This time, Guy had to say something other than her name. "What is going on?" he asked.

Rena called his name a couple of more times. Then, she said something completely new…

"Leave this place now!"

Then, the flashes and Rena's image disappeared…

Guy opened his eyes slowly. Placing his hands on either side of him, he looked up for a moment. _Something's going to happen…_

As he continued to try to figure out what was going on, Guy suddenly heard footsteps not too far from him. The Bushin ninja quickly whirled to get a better view of who was coming. He got into his fighting stance right away, not wanting to take any chances. Soon, Guy got a better look at who was coming from behind the trees and instantly recognized him;

Sodom.

The two stared at each other for a moment once Sodom stopped a few feet away. Guy had not seen Sodom since the second round of the tournament when Sodom approached him to have their overdue battle.

" _Sore wa jikandearu_ ," Sodom said.

Indeed it was time. Guy had told him last time that he did not want to fight with him until after the tournament was over. Indeed the event had ended today so now was the time to keep his word.

Not caring whether or not Guy made his decision, Sodom launched himself forward, his fists out and ready. Once he reached him, Sodom threw his punches from different directions as Guy was forced to defend himself. It didn't last very long however, as Guy soon found an opening and performed a flip kick, knocking Sodom back a little.

As soon as Guy landed, Sodom took out his two jutte weapons before quickly gliding forward with his feet. He then attempted to slash Guy with his weapons, but the smaller fighter moved sideways before he was hit. He then jumped up before placing one leg out before spinning himself around, his feet connecting three times to Sodom's head.

" _Bushin Senpuukyaku!_ " Guy called out. His attack caused Sodom to fly back before crashing into the ground. The Bushin ninja then waited for the former Mad Gear member to get himself back on his feet.

Moments later, Sodom ran after Guy again, who did the same. When they were close enough, Sodom managed to perform a roundhouse kick, which Guy blocked with his forearm. Then Sodom spun himself around a bit and aimed the same foot at Guy's legs. Guy saw the move coming and his jumped up before performing a somersault in the air so that he was able to distance himself from Sodom for a moment.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Guy dashed forward before jumping up and performing an air kick to Sodom's face, which was protected by his blue helmet. Sodom only stumbled a couple of feet before coming to a stop.

The moment Guy landed on his feet, Sodom managed to reach over and grab Guy by his neck before lifting him up in the air before he was able to recover. Guy was able to try to get out of his grip, but before he could, Sodom managed to quickly head butt Guy in the forehead.

It was already bad enough that the smaller fighter was hit in the head…but it was by someone who was wearing a helmet. Guy suddenly felt dizzy after the impact and he could already feel a couple of drops of blood trailing down his face.

 _Come on, focus!_ Guy yelled in his mind as he tried to force himself to regain his mobility.

Sodom then let Guy go, but before the orange-clad man would land on the ground, Sodom kicked him hard in the chest. The force sent Guy flying back into the tree that was a few feet behind him, the back of his head experiencing the impact first. Guy saw colors for just a moment before he completely blacked out…

Sodom watched as Guy's now unconscious form slide down to the ground after hitting the tree. He noted the small splatter of blood that was left on the tree after the impact. He then looked down at Guy, feeling the victory he should have experienced all those years ago.

" _Ima, anata wa kōtei o mitashimasu_ _(Now, you will meet the Emperor),_ " Sodom said.

With that, the large fighter picked up the unconscious Guy and threw him over his shoulder before making his trip back to the Emperor's fortress.

~~~

**Cave**

"I believe our chosen ones have done their best since the start," said Rose. "Even if we weren't able to win the tournament."

"I know," agreed Raiden as he paced himself around the room a bit. "I had confidence in everyone, but some have made it quite far. Now at this point, we have to negotiate a plan b."

"I couldn't agree more," said Rose.

As Raiden paced the room, Rose was sitting on the single couch that was in the room. All was quiet in the cave with the exception of Raiden's footsteps and some other noises here and there from the chosen ones near the lounge room.

"I do have one suggestion," Rose spoke up.

Raiden looked over at his. "Do tell."

"Well, I was thinking that if you and I can't think of anything by morning, then we might as well send the chosen ones back to their home worlds. Once we get a plan going, then we can summon them all back together."

"We can," Raiden said. "Though the time to summon them and have them meet at the destined location would take some time."

Rose sighed a little. "I figured that was the case."

"However," Raiden began to say. "I was informed of something a bit interesting from Jin after he returned from his walk."

"And what is that?" Rose asked.

Raiden sighed a little before replying. "It's possible that Ivy, the winner of the tournament, is working for Shao Kahn. It was discovered that she doesn't have a room in the main palace and, unless she's staying in her own cave, is most likely staying within Shao Kahn's fortress. If that's the case…"

"Then Shao Kahn has indeed retained the medallion…" Rose finished for him. "The medallion would then still be in the wrong hands, as we had feared."

"I have no doubt in my mind that Shao Kahn is scheming a plan," Raiden said. "We will definitely have to be prepared for anything."

At that moment, the curtain to the lounge room opened. Raiden and Rose turned their heads and saw Nightwolf coming in. He walked further into the room and just by seeing the look on his face, Raiden and Rose grew worried.

"You look alarmed," Rose said.

"I just had another vision," Nightwolf said. "It's the same exact vision of war and destruction… the very vision I had just before coming here. This time, it all seemed much more real rather than just a dream."

A worried look came over Raiden as he turned his eyes to Rose, who had the same look on her face as well.

"We have some serious planning to do…"


	63. Chapter Sixty-Two

**_That same night…_ **

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Nearly all of the Emperor's henchman gathered around his throne room, which was the biggest room in the entire fortress. Moments ago, all were called to a meeting for reasons unknown. No one was sure of what to expect, but they obviously wouldn't know unless they went to the meeting.

Soon, the whisper-like chatter died down the moment Shao Kahn came into view. He walked down the red carpet that lead to his throne, which was also occupied by two Shadow Priests who stood in front of a pair of lit black candles. Shao Kahn soon stood in front of his throne, but did not sit down.

"This gathering shall begin," Shao Kahn's booming voice called out. All in the room looked up at him as they awaited for word of what this meeting was all about.

"Before we officially begin," he continued. "Some of you may have noticed that the winner of the tournament, Ivy Valentine, is not in our presence at the moment. That is because I've recommended for her to take her time to rest… to better prepare for morning."

"The morning?" asked Mileena who stood in the front of the group. "I sense something exciting will happen tomorrow."

Shao Kahn nodded at her. "For some, yes." He then looked up at everyone else. "Most of you have been probably wondering why this tournament came to be… and why I've been constantly inviting new recruits in our Outworld force. Tonight… you will receive that answer."

Everyone looked at each other excitedly. Some chatter began to go around for just a moment.

"SILENCE!" Shao Kahn yelled out, immediately shutting everyone up as they looked up back at him again. "I demand you all to stay quiet… unless you want your heads knocked off your shoulders."

"We apologize," said Reptile who too stood up front.

"Now," the Emperor proceeded. "The reason for all of what's been taking place is this… I am planning to once again conquer all the realms. Now with the power of _Chishio No Me_ officially in our hands, it will be much easier for us to move on with this plan. The main purpose of the tournament… to lure 'the best of the best' here as a means of them to join our side."

That's when Baraka spoke up. "We've had plenty who join our side… but what of the others Master? The ones who refuse to join us?"

Before Shao Kahn was able to reply to the question, the door to the throne room suddenly opened. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the person who just entered. Shao Kahn wasn't able to see the person right away, at least until the people standing in the front row parted themselves away. He then was able to see Sodom walking up to Shao Kahn's throne. Over his shoulder was an unconscious figure.

Silently, Sodom took the person off his shoulder and dropped him to the floor. Shao Kahn was able to get a better look at the figure and immediately recognized Guy Hinato. Since the end of the second round of the tournament, he was requested for his henchman to retrieve him so that he could have him join his army. It took some time, but Sodom had finally succeeded.

Shao Kahn then looked up at everyone. "Except for Sodom, Astaroth, and the Shadow Priests, I order you all to take your leave! We will regroup later!"

With that, everyone except for the few chosen by him departed from the throne room. When the last person was gone, the door was closed behind them.

The Emperor looked at Sodom. "You have done well in your assignment," he said. "You shall be rewarded for this later tonight. Take your leave now."

Sodom replied with a nod before he began departing as well.

"Take him away!" Shao Kahn ordered the Shadow Priests.

Gliding forward, the group of Shadow Priests soon surrounded Guy. They then picked him up, raising his form above their heads, and finally made their way out of the way.

"And what of me?" Astaroth said. "And I hope it's good. I haven't done much since I lost the tournament."

"I'm aware of that," Shao Kahn replied. "And I have something for you to do tonight. It's not much, but I'm quite sure you'll find some sort of thrill. I want you to keep guard of the tournament grounds. If anyone tries to pass you… kill them on sight."

It wasn't much, but Astaroth found himself sighing a bit as he took out his axe. "I'll take care of it."

"Return in the morning," Shao Kahn ordered.

With that, the Keisei golem took his leave.

~~~

**Cave**

"I think that's about everything," said Kilik as he pulled the string of his bag in order to close it. "Are you ready to go home?"

His friend Maxi nodded. "Definitely. I've got all of my belongings packed already."

All was quiet as Kilik made sure that he definitely packed everything. Although it was very late in the evening, Maxi wasn't able to sleep, at least not right now. So he decided to check up on what Kilik was up to and found him packing his stuff.

"You know," Maxi began to say after a moment of silence. "We've been on a lot of adventures even before we came here to Outworld. After all this time, I think I'm about ready to go back to my homeland. Now sure what I plan to do, but I'm sure I'll figure it out once I get here. Just hope my hut is still standing." He ended that with a short laugh.

Kilik laughed a little as well before speaking. "Well, I plan to go back to my homeland too. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to pay Edgemaster a visit."

Maxi stared at him. "Your old master?"

The younger of the two nodded. "Yeah. I figured I'd try to reflect on my recent travels, kind of recuperate a bit before I go venturing out again."

"Sounds like a plan," Maxi said. "Say, has Xianghua told you what she was going to do?"

Kilik nodded. "She mentioned that she was planning to return to the Imperial Force for a while. She knows that she's due to return soon and decided to try to get back early."

"Ah I see," Maxi replied. He then patted Kilik on the shoulder. "Well… it was fun while it lasted."

"Yeah," Kilik agreed. Then he smirked. "I'm sure that the three of us will travel together again."

"It probably won't beat this particular adventure, but we'll see."

Maxi then stretched himself out. "Ah shoot… nature just called, so I'll return shortly."

"All right," Kilik said. From there, the dark haired man departed from the room and began heading out.

~~~

**Nearby…**

About two hours ago, Ryu got himself in his bed, believing himself to be tired. He remembered thinking that he couldn't wait to rest up. The sooner he got his sleep, the sooner he would be able to get back to Earth.

However, all he had done for the past two hours was toss and turn. It seemed as though he wasn't able to get himself into a comfortable position. Either that, or the thoughts racing through his mind were the reason he was being kept up.

Aside from his problem with Julia, he knew nothing was seriously wrong… unless that was the reason he was being kept up…

 _Either that or I ate more than I thought before bed,_ Ryu thought as he remembered the small piece of cake that he had not too long before coming to his room.

After another fifteen minutes, Ryu finally decided to get himself up. He figured that a short walk outside may due and perhaps he'll be able to fall asleep better upon his return back here.

Ryu got himself out of bed. Wearing only the bottom half of his white gi, he took the top portion from his duffle bag and placed it over his bare chest before tying it with his black karate belt. Then, he put on his brown fighting gloves just to be safe. Afterward, he stepped out of his room and began heading outside.

Once he outside, he took the few minute walk over to the beach area. Ryu had expected to be alone there, but upon seeing the beach water, he noticed Jin Kazama standing there looking out at the water.

Jin was able to hear someone coming up from behind him. He shifted his eyes over a bit as he turned his head to see Ryu. "Can't sleep either?"

Ryu stopped walking just a couple of feet away and looked at his ally. "How do you figure?"

"Just a guess," Jin answered. "I can't sleep myself either."

"Why so?" Ryu asked curiously.

Jin sighed to himself a bit before replying. "Something came up this evening… something I have to take care of upon my return. I get the feeling that's what I've been losing sleep over."

"You had yourself quite a day," Ryu reminded him.

"I know," Jin said. "So I'm surprised I'm still even up."

At that moment, they both heard another set of footsteps not too far from them. Jin and Ryu turned their heads and were a bit surprised to see Kenshi coming up to them.

"Can't sleep either?" asked Ryu.

"You could say that," the swordsman replied. "I can't quite figure it out why though."

"Any guesses?" Jin asked curiously.

Kenshi was silent for a moment as though he was trying to get an idea of something. Soon he was able to answer. "I got this feeling about something I can't describe… a dark feeling might I add."

"Perhaps some bad omen may take place?" guessed Ryu.

"It's possible," Kenshi answered. "But I wouldn't jump to conclusions."

Jin then figured out something. "With your keen senses, I'm getting this feeling…" He then looked at Ryu. "Do you think whatever Kenshi is feeling is perhaps the same reason the both of us are up?"

"It may be," Ryu replied. "But if that's the case… wouldn't the rest of the cave be up as well?"

At that moment, another set of footsteps were heard, followed by a female voice. "Jin?"

The three of them turned their heads and soon noticed Cammy coming up to them. Jin spoke. "Can't sleep?"

"Actually I was just about to go to bed," Cammy replied. "But then I noticed you were missing so I went out to looking for you… and here you are. Is anything wrong?"

Jin briefly looked over at Ryu and Kenshi before turning his head to Cammy. "No, everything is fine." An idea came to him them. "Are you up for a walk?"

Cammy shrugged a bit. "I guess so. But let's not take too long."

"All right," Jin said. Soon the two of them departed.

Afterward, Ryu turned to Kenshi. "If anyone asks, I'm taking a walk as well. I'll return soon."

Kenshi nodded before Ryu departed to the other direction. A few moments later, the blind swordsman decided to just go back in the cave, realizing that there wasn't anything for him to do out here. He took the walk back into the cave and only passed a few rooms before stopping in front of one particular curtain. He listened in for a moment before deciding to pull the curtain a bit and walking in.

Kenshi reached over to the bed in the room, where a sleeping Alex laid. He stood over her for a moment before he reached out to touch her shoulder, noting that she was sleeping on her side. Slowly then, he got himself on the bed, getting himself behind her before wrapping a single arm around her waist.

Alex was awaken by the movement behind her, slowly opening her eyes. When she felt an arm wrap around her, she realized who it was. "Kenshi?" she uttered.

"Go back to sleep," he murmured.

It seemed as though her mind listened as Alex let out a small yawn before she found herself falling right back to sleep.

From that moment, Kenshi realized that perhaps the dark feeling he had felt wasn't felt by anyone else other than perhaps Jin and Ryu. If that was the case, then why was only the three of them kept up?

 _Perhaps it's just part of the Outworld environment for all I know,_ he thought.

After the thought, all Kenshi could do was wait for sleep to take over him for the night.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress, Sleeping Quarters**

Lying on her bed, Ivy looked up at the ceiling in her bedroom. For some time, she was only able to toss and turn in her bed as she tried to get herself to sleep. She wasn't sure why she wasn't able to sleep.

 _Perhaps today's excitement got to me,_ she thought. _But that wouldn't make sense… wouldn't I have fallen asleep right away?_

Ivy then felt a sinking feeling the pit of her stomach. It was as though she wanted to vomit, but the truth was that she knew that it was all in her mind.

Soon, she realized that she wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon. Ivy sat herself up from her bed before swinging herself over the side. Still sitting down, she briefly placed her hand over her face, rubbing her eyes a bit. Soon, she removed her hand… and the first thing she saw was the medallion that sat on her nightstand.

Ivy found herself staring at _Chishio No Me_ for a while. As she did, it seemed as though it's eye was staring right back at her. It was as though it was planning something, something that was perhaps not too good.

"Hmph," the alchemist found herself humming, trying to amuse herself. "It's all in my imagination."

She then found herself looking at it again… and suddenly, the sinking feeling in her stomach returned. The red tear of the medallion slightly glowed for just a moment before it dimmed down completely.

 _Something doesn't seem right about that medallion,_ she suddenly thought.

Ivy quickly shook her head as though she was trying to shake the thought out of mind. Not wanting to think about the artifact for the remainder of the night, Ivy lied herself back down on the bed, covering herself with a sheet. From there, she attempted to get herself back to sleep…

~~~

**Forest**

After doing what he had to do, Maxi began heading back over to the cave. As he did, he found himself whistling a random tune while taking one of his nunchakus and spinning it around a bit.

 _I'm actually pretty wide awake,_ he thought to himself. _Make me wonder if I'll get any sleep tonight._

As he continued to walk down the trail, Maxi suddenly heard a set of heavy footsteps not too far from where he was. Quickly, he stopped in his tracks before whirling around to get a better view behind him. He lashed out his nunchaku and got himself into a fighting stance, preparing himself for anything. After a few moments passed, the footsteps were no longer heard. Maxi then relaxed himself and got out of his stance.

"Must've been my imagination," he said to himself.

However, before he was able to move and continue down the trail, he suddenly saw a large shadow pass by a light on the ground from the moonlight above. Once again, the heavy footsteps were heard not too far from him. Now suspicious, Maxi began following the footsteps, not wanting to be the prey of whoever was possibly nearby.

For a while, Maxi went into the direction he believed the shadow came from along with the heavy footsteps. Eventually though, the sound of the footsteps were suddenly gone so Maxi was gone as well.

 _Who's out there?_ he asked himself.

A crack was suddenly heard then, followed by a heavy _whoosh!_ Maxi quickly turned around just in time to see a large axe coming down right at his head! In fast speed, he rolled himself sideways, forcing the axe to hit the ground he was previously standing on instead.

Once he recovered, Maxi looked up to get a better look at who just attacked him. Instantly, he recognized Astaroth, the very man who had killed his crew all those years ago.

"You!" Maxi yelled out in anger.

Astaroth stared at him as an energy charged surrounded his axe. "Worm!" he yelled out before swinging his axe in an uppercut direction this time. Quickly, Maxi got himself out of the way, stepping sideways before running over to his enemy while he was trying to recover from his last execution.

The smaller fighter then executed his own moves with his nunchaku, swinging them in different directions. Astaroth managed to block most of the moves, though he did ended up getting hit a few times.

When the golem got the chance, he managed to thrust the head of his axe into Maxi's stomach. The impact caused Maxi to stumble back a few feet and a rush of air suddenly left his lungs.

As Maxi attempted to catch his breath, Astaroth then tried to swing his axe sideway. Maxi managed to duck under the axe in time, causing Astaroth to completely chop off a nearby tree instead. The tree instantly tumbled down sideways, landing on the ground with a loud crash and causing most of the leaves on it's branches to shake off.

Maxi then got himself back on his feet. Although he was still trying to catch his breath, he attempted to fight back again. He performed an uppercut-like attack with his nunchaku, managing to hit Astaroth under his chin. He then spin around a bit before performing a back kick, which barely affect Astaroth.

"Damn it," Maxi uttered under his breath.

Suddenly, Astaroth took his foot and managed to knock Maxi's feet off, sending him crashing to the floor. As he looked up after recovering from the attack, Maxi's eyes widened suddenly as he once again saw the blade portion of Astaroth's axe coming down right towards him!

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Two hours passed since Shao Kahn had his first meeting. Moments ago after taking care of a few things, he called everyone back to the restart of the meeting once again. Now he was only waiting for all of his henchman to arrive in his throne room.

Sitting at his throne, thoughts came over the Emperor. It was the first time in ages that Shao Kahn felt content. Perhaps it was because, for the first time since he began merging other realms with his own that everything was going according to plan.

He had spent the last month building an army which he called his Outworld Force. In addition, Ivy managed to retain _Chishio No Me_ in the tournament for him. Also, he had the two demons, Akuma and Scorpion, in his possession, and now, after a while, finally got Guy in his grasps. He wanted Guy to be part of his army for quite some time and now he finally got that wish.

The only flaw in his whole plan was the fact that he was never able to capture Heihachi Mishima, another who he wanted in his army. All who had gone after him just happened to never return. It was no matter for now, especially considering that he came up with a brand new plan.

Those tournament participants who never joined their army… they would indeed have no choice now. If they refuse, he would simply take their souls. With that, he could create an immortal army, one that would be unstoppable.

It was perfect for his plans to conquer the realms once more.

He would tell his henchman exactly what was on his mind. Tomorrow, he would send them and the rest of the army to the tournament grounds and kill whoever was left. There, their souls would be taken for his purposes.

As the Emperor continued thinking through his plans, the door to the throne room suddenly opened and someone came running in. Shao Kahn looked on and soon was able to recognize Reptile as he approached his throne.

"Massster!" Reptile called out frantically. "In the lower level, the two guardssss who were guarding the door are dead! Thosssse two demonssss you were keeping have essscaped!"

That one moment of being content suddenly disappeared as rage took over. One of his long-term plans had suddenly backfired.

"What are you waiting for?!" Shao Kahn yelled, his voicing booming with rage. "Find those imbeciles before I have your head on a mount!"

"Yessss massster!" Reptile said as he quickly left the room.

Shao Kahn leaned himself back in his throne frustrated. However, as he recollected his mind, a thought came to him.

It was possible that Akuma and Scorpion had already got out of the fortress before anyone discovered them missing. And if that was the case, he would always retrieve their souls and powers later now that he was going to go along with his new plan…

~~~

**Forest**

Maxi's eyes were widened as he saw Astaroth's axe coming down at him. Quickly, he moved himself out of the way just in time. Once again, the axe came crashing into the spot where Maxi was just at a split second ago.

The two continued to fight for quite some time. As they did, neither realized that they had brought their fight over near a cliff area just east from the cave. At one point, Astaroth managed to head butt Maxi in the head, causing him to stumble back a bit before stopping himself just inches away from the cliff. Maxi happened to look behind him just in time and was very surprised to see the long fall below.

Then, Astaroth jumped up and swung his axe. Maxi attempted to get out of the way, but the blade managed to cut his left arm a bit, enough for it to string and draw blood.

"Damn it!" Maxi growled as he briefly checked out his wound before looking up at Astaroth. "Now you're dead!"

"Be gone you scum!" Astaroth yelled as he charged after his smaller opponent.

Maxi waited until the golem was close to him. When he was, Maxi quickly smacked his side with a back hit, spun himself around before perform a low hit with a nunchaku. He then pulled himself back as a green energy charged his weapon before following it with a downward strike, hitting Astaroth with a force that made him stumble back a couple of feet.

 _Now we're getting somewhere_ _,_ Maxi thought as he covered the distance between them again.

From there, Maxi performed a spin kick (which was blocked), following it with a spinning nunchaku which hit Astaroth's kneed, before finally landing with a roundhouse that forced Astaroth to stumble into a tree. When Astaroth removed himself off the tree, Maxi noted the dent that was left behind.

After Astaroth recovered, he managed to catch the butt of his axe under Maxi's feet. He then lifted one foot up before quickly stepping on the hilt which was lifted in a diagonal position. As the hilt went down, the butt of the axe went up, hitting Maxi and forcing him up in the air. Maxi flew just passed the height of the trees before coming back down and crashing into the ground. As soon as he did, he felt seer pain all over his body.

"Damn it," Maxi found himself growling.

Astaroth then attempted to kick Maxi in the face, but the smaller fighter rolled out of the way before it happened. Realizing that he didn't have enough time to recover, Maxi forced his body to stand up again and waited as Astaroth attempted yet another attack.

While he waited, Maxi had just enough time to collect some energy into his weapon, a fiery fire surrounding it soon after. He then pulled his good arm back, ready to strike.

Astaroth, with a loud battle cry, was just covering the distance between them when Maxi swung his nunchaku sideways while letting out his own battle cry. He had expected the force to knock Astaroth to the side for more than a few feet. However, to his surprise, he ended up sending Astaroth right over the cliff nearby. As soon as the golem was completely off the cliff, Maxi went over the edge. He was able to hear Astaroth's screams as he watched him fall until he disappeared into the fog below.

"Now stay dead this time!" Maxi called out, reveling in his victory against the golem once again in four years. He looked down the cliff for another moment before he slowly turned his back and began heading back to the cave.

Maxi only walked a couple of feet when he realized that the pain in his body was now hitting him hard, especially the pain in his left arm where his wound was. For a moment, he leaned himself against a tree, taking a moment to breath for a bit, hoping that the pain in his body would soon go away. As he let himself recover, Maxi couldn't help but grin as a thought came to him.

 _Looks like I'll be tired upon my return to the cave after all,_ he thought. Soon, he slowly got himself moving, hoping that no one else would try to attack him before he got to the cave…

In the cliff below, Astaroth's body laid on the ground below, leaving behind cracks around him. He wasn't quite dead yet as the heart outside of his body was still thumping a little. However, his eyes were closed, indicating his unconsciousness.

Moments after falling to the ground from the cliff, a group of Shadow Priests arrived and slowly got themselves to stand around him. They glided as they normally would.

Once the group was around him, they all removed their hoods. By the black emblems on their foreheads, one would know them as Servants of Ares, who was known as the God of Savage War. Standing in front of Astaroth's feet was their second leader Kunpaetku…Astaroth's creator.

"We've blended in with the other Shadow Priests long enough," Kunpaetku said. He looked down at his creation as thoughts passed his mind… since the day Astaroth was taken here over a month ago, Kunpaetku and the other followers brought themselves here in Outworld. They managed to obtain the same magical robes as the other Shadow Priests, posing as them until the right moment came to approach Astaroth.

"The time has come to take you back," Kunpaetku said to Astaroth. "It would seem that you will need to be renewed upon your return. It will take a year or two… but once we are finished, you will be good as new."

He then nodded at the other followers. One opened the portal which would return them to Keisei. All the followers, with the exception of Kunpaetku, lifted up Astaroth from the ground, only struggle just a little because of his weight. Soon, they all entered the portal. Kunpaetku looked over at Outworld once more before entering the portal himself. Moments later, the portal closed…

~~~

**Other Side of the Forest**

"The night seems different to me," Cammy suddenly said after some silence between her and Jin.

Jin looked over at her in reply. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

Cammy shrugged a little. "I don't know… I think I'm still not used to being in Outworld."

"Perhaps," Jin agreed. "But don't worry, we'll be returning home tomorrow."

Cammy nodded.

For the last half hour, the two walked around together just outside the cave grounds. Jin had suggested that they walk after realizing that he would need it. He wasn't able to get any sleep previously and he thought a good walk would do. Cammy happened to come up to him, wondering where he was, when the idea came to him.

As they continued walking, Cammy noted the worried-like expression on Jin's face. "Don't worry about the tournament," she said to him as she rubbed his shoulder a little. "You've tried your best."

Jin sighed a little. "That's not the thing that's bothering me though," he said.

Cammy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Another sigh escaped his lips. "Cammy… something came up this evening. I want to tell you, but I can't right now." He then looked into her eyes. "All I know is that… I have to return to Japan right away to take care of it."

"I see," Cammy said frowning a bit.

Jin felt a bit bad then since he didn't tell her right away why he wasn't going to be going with her for a visit in England upon their return to Earth. Too much has been going on in his mind as of late…but he should at least try to tell of this problem… or should he hold back again.

 _Should I just tell her what's going on?_ he thought.

Before Jin could make an official decision however, a red projectile suddenly came from the shadows of the forest. Because it happened in such a close range, neither Jin nor Cammy had any time to get out of the way. The projectile ended up missing Jin, but it managed to hit Cammy right in the torso. With a short shriek, she went flying back into a tree, which immediately rendered her unconscious before her body fell back to the ground.

"Cammy!" Jin called out as he ran over to her. He bent down to her and briefly checked her vital signs. She was fine, just out cold.

Although she was going to be okay, anger still filled up in Jin. He realized who was behind the projectile as he straightened himself up and got into a fighting stance. He then looked over at where the projectile came from.

"Come out Heihachi!" Jin yelled out. "If it's a fight you want, then come out and fight me! Show yourself!"

Moments of silence passed before a low deep laugh was heard. Jin narrowed his eyes as he awaited for his grandfather to emerge from the shadow.

Soon, a body stepped into the light. Jin was about ready to attack… however, he stopped himself immediately as he realized something…

The man standing before him was _not_ his grandfather Heihachi.

Instead, the man standing before him was the very man Jin believed was dead…

That man was his very own father… Kazuya Mishima!


	64. Chapter Sixty-Three

**_That same night…_ **

**Cave**

"Raiden?" a female voice was heard. "Raiden are you awake?"

The Thunder God Raiden fluttered his eyes open after hearing his name being called a couple of times. He stretched himself out a bit, grumbling a bit, before opening his eyes to see Rose standing over him.

"Now I'm awake," he grumbled a little. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry but I can't sleep," Rose said with a small sigh. "I keep getting this… sinking feeling."

Raiden slowly sat himself up upon hearing this before looking up at Rose again. "What kind of feeling?"

"I can't really describe it," Rose replied. "But… I've had this feeling ever since Nightwolf told us about his vision earlier."

Raiden noted the worried expression on Rose's face as she said this. "I know we haven't come up with a solid plan for our Chosen Ones yet. Is there anything you want to do?"

Rose thought about it for a while before an idea came to her. "It may seen irrational, but I can't figure out any other way right now. I think we should all infiltrate Shao Kahn's fortress tomorrow. That was, we can find the medallion then and destroy it as soon as possible."

"It is irrational," Raiden said. "That's the kind of thing Shao Kahn would expect for anyone to do. Perhaps we should gather the Chosen Ones in the morning and discuss what we can do."

Rose nodded. "That may be best."

It was at that moment that the curtain to the room opened and Xianghua appeared. Both of them knew that something was wrong the moment they saw the worried expression on her face.

"Raiden, Rose!" she exclaimed. "Maxi's hurt!"

"What happened?" Rose asked as she and Raiden, who quickly got out of his bed, followed her.

"I don't know," Xianghua replied a little more calmly. "Kilik woke me up and told me to inform you two. I saw Maxi briefly. He's got some cuts and bruises and he's limping."

The two leaders followed the young woman to the lounge room. There, Maxi was sitting on the chair. By the tears on his pants and the countless cuts and bruises on his torso, he looked as though he took a good beating. Nearby, Kilik was gathering some cloths and bandages in his hands from a box.

"What happened to you?" Raiden asked him.

Maxi forced a small grin. "It's kind of funny. I, eh… fell off a small cliff. Hit a bunch of rocks and boulders on my way down as you can see."

"You're lucky to be alive at least," said Kilik as he set the bandages and cloths on the table.

"The wound on your arm looks bad," said Rose as she noted the cut on his left arm. "Let's take a look at that first before we attend to his other injuries."

"Definitely take it easy for a while," Raiden suggested.

Maxi nodded as the grin on his face faded. He couldn't really figure out why he decided not to tell them of his encounter with Astaroth, especially since he was the one who ended up defeating him. He could only guess because he didn't want anyone to worry about any more threats around the cave area.

Besides, it was a personal deal anyway, so he didn't think anything else would happen for the night anyway.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Over two hours after the first meeting, the henchmen of the Outworld Forces once again gathered in the throne room of Shao Kahn. Their original meeting had been disrupted when Sodom came in with an unconscious Guy, a man the Emperor had sought out since the second round of the tournament. Some of the Shadow Priests were now… taking care of him.

"For this past month I've been building the Outworld Forces," Shao Kahn said, his booming voice echoing all around the large room. "We've collected many warriors who have been willing to offer their servitude to me. Of course, as mentioned in our last meeting, there are still many of the tournament participants who have not joined with us. I've found a way to get them to join with us."

He eyed everyone in the room before continuing. "Tomorrow, the… surviving participants are expected to depart Outworld in the afternoon. While they are vulnerable, we shall approach the tournament grounds in the morning. From there, you are to kill those not willing to join with us. The moment you kill them, their souls will be taken so that they would have no choice but to join."

Everyone began talking about themselves, many of them nodding as though this plan was a great idea. The Emperor eyed the group and once the group began noticing, they all began settling down. He spoke again once it was completely silent.

"Another meeting will be planned for early in the morning," he said. "Then, we will have our official time for our… invasion."

As he continued to speak, Shang Tsung stayed quiet while standing in the second row of the group. A few hours ago, he made a discovery. There was a group of people staying in a cave, one of them being Sonya Blade and a couple of… survivors as he called Li Mei and Alex.

The sorcerer wondered to himself for a while if he should reveal his discovery to Shao Kahn. However, as the meeting was beginning to come to a close, Shang Tsung decided to withhold the information.

Besides… he wanted to revel in some glory for himself this time around…

~~~

**Forest**

For a moment, it was as though Jin Kazama was seeing a ghost. Just a few feet away from him stood his own father, Kazuya Mishima. The moment the young man realized it was him, his eyes widened and he was able to feel his heart pound in shock. Of all people, Kazuya was the last person he expected to see here.

And he thought seeing his grandfather Heihachi just three hours ago was bad enough…

After the two stared at each other, it was Kazuya who spoke first. "I'm most impressed," he said. "You made it quite far in the tournament-"

Before he could finish, anger filled up within Jin. "YOU! How are you alive?! Heihachi killed you after the 4th King of Iron Fist Tournament!"

A small laugh escaped Kazuya's throat before answering. "You and I both know that he's a fool. Did he really think he could succeed in killing me a second time?"

Kazuya went on to explain further. "G-Corp, the group who resurrected me the first time, found me after the tournament and aided in my recovery. See, turns out that I survived. The old man should've made sure I was truly dead. I stayed with them for a while, mainly to recuperate… until now. I returned to Japan with the intention of showing up at the Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters and kill Heihachi. However, by the time I got there, he had already left for this tournament. I had decided to leave him a 'message' by destroying everything and killing those who were in the building at the time. The only thing I haven't destroyed was the portal that lead me to here. It was already set for Outworld, so I only had to simply press a button and enter. I would have entered the tournament, knowing that I would win, but I came here three weeks into the event so it was too late for me to enter. So I simply stayed within the shadows… until now."

Jin narrowed his eyes at him after hearing his story. "Does _he_ know of your presence here?"

"As far as I know, he doesn't," Kazuya replied. "But it won't be long before he knows that I'm here. Right now, however, he's not my concern." A small smirk came over his lips at his left eye glowed red… the sign of his own Devil Gene. "I only discovered your presence here during round six of the tournament. I must admit, you saved me a lot of time by coming here. Perhaps now, I can reclaim what is rightfully mine."

Kazuya didn't have to explain his last sentence as Jin was fully aware of his intentions. In the last tournament they both attended, Kazuya had tried to kill him in order to obtain what he called his 'lost' portion of his Devil Gene. As much as Jin wanted to be rid of his curse, it wasn't going to be at the cost of his own life.

As Jin was silent, the smirk on Kazuya's face widened. "Perhaps instead," he began to say. "You want me to take another power source beforehand."

Jin then noticed Kazuya shifting his eyes low and towards his right. Jin turned his head in that direction quickly and suddenly realized that he was looking at Cammy, who was still unconscious from the attack she had received moments ago.

The young man looked up, more even more angry. "She has nothing to do with this! You deal with me!" Then quickly, he launched himself forward with a battle cry, ready to fight his father. Kazuya immediately got into his own stance.

 _Just as I had expected for you to do,_ he thought.

As soon as Jin was close enough, he began his attacks, immediately getting himself on offense. Kazuya was forced to get himself on defense as he waited for the right moment to strike back.

After sometime of fighting, Kazuya finally found an opening and managed to land a punch into Jin's stomach, causing the younger man to stagger back. Kazuya then performed two more punches to his chest before spinning himself around and performing a backhand punch. The moment his punch connected to Jin's face, red lightning briefly surrounded his arm. The force of the punch caused Jin to fly a few feet before crashing to the ground.

Kazuya ran over to Jin and attempted to perform an axe kick to his head, but Jin rolled out of the way and got himself back up on his feet before Kazuya connected the attack. From there, Jin maneuvered himself towards the older man and performed a spin kick to his side, all the while with his foot glowing red. Kazuya managed to step back before getting hit.

The older man then moved himself one foot forward before connecting a left hook punch at Jin, who quickly blocked the attack. In fast speed, Kazuya used his free hand to punch Jin's stomach upward, causing Jin to be lifted up from the ground for just a second. As he did, Jin found himself coughing up his own blood. Kazuya then used his left hand to smack Jin down back to the floor.

As Jin was recovering from the attacks, Kazuya found himself smirking again. "Weakling! For someone who made it to the final round of the tournament, I'd thought you'd do better than this!"

Jin looked up at his father with anger. "And you're no better than Heihachi!"

The smirk immediately disappeared from Kazuya's face upon hearing this. "You'll pay for your insolence!"

He attempted to stomp his foot down at Jin's chest, but the younger man managed to catch his foot with his hands in time. Jin then took the opportunity to push him back. Kazuya fell back, but managed to catch himself by rolling himself back before getting back on his feet again. By then, Jin was also back on his feet.

Neither father or son wasted any more time as they ran towards each other again to fight further. They exchanged some punches and kicks for a brief moment before Jin was able to get the upper hand again. He performed a double punch at Kazuya, who managed to block, before lifting his foot up to perform an axe kick. That attack managed to connect, hitting Kazuya in the shoulder causing him to grunt at the pain that shot through him for a moment.

At this point, Jin was able to feel his body shaking a bit. He knew what was happening to him… his Devil Gene was trying to get at him. The younger fighter gritted his teeth, choosing to ignore what was happening.

In frustration, Jin lept at Kazuya, and he managed to tackle him down. As they rolled back, their disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

Moments later, a demon-like howl could be heard…

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

"I am glad that we could have this meeting of our own," said the sorcerer Quan Chi.

Sitting a few feet away in his own throne was the God of Fighting Ogre. He sat there in silence as he waited for what Quan Chi had to say. A while ago, the two had agreed to meet up after confirming all of Shao Kahn's plans at his meeting with the other henchman.

"An interesting thing came up just before Shao Kahn had his meeting tonight," Quan-Chi began to explain. "Rumor has it that he made Ivy Valentine his Empress, to rule by his side here in Outworld. Since she is the winner of the tournament, she is in possession of the medallion after all. I get a good feeling that the Emperor is… perhaps using her in order to stay close to the artifact."

The pale sorcerer began pacing himself slowly around Ogre's chamber. Ogre's head shifted as though following Quan Chi's every more.

"If the rumor of her being the new Empress is indeed true," Quan Chi continued. "Then there's a chance that she won't be involved in tomorrow morning's invasion. This gives me a plan of my own."

Quan Chi stood still then, looking directly at Ogre who still kept silent as he normally did. "While everyone else is out fighting in the invasion, I will… pay Ivy a visit. I expect her to fight of course, but I will be much more prepared than she will be. The medallion after all is rightfully... ours to begin with. You were once in possession of it and I was the one who found it to begin with. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for me, Shao Kahn's little plans wouldn't have come to his realization to begin with."

He then pointed at Ogre. "As for you, I have a task for you, one that will be benefit to both of us. During the invasion, I want you to capture the fool Yoshimitsu. Bring him here alive. This way, we will finally finish him off. Using the medallion, we will finish off what the artifact has started on him. I expect neither one of us to fail in our assignments."

In reply, Ogre gave off a single nod.

~~~

**Beach Area, farthest from the Cave**

After spending a long period of time walking, Ryu looked up at the dark sky above him. He squinted for a moment as he tried to pinpoint the position of the large moon to determine what time it was.

Ryu's eyes widened a bit afterward. "Wow… I've been walking longer than I thought," he said to himself.

It was only about a five minute walk back to the cave from where he was. He figured that he should make his return at this point if he wanted to just get enough rest for his return back to Earth tomorrow. Besides, he didn't want to be gone for too long just in case anyone decided to report him missing.

Throughout his walk, Ryu felt more relaxed than he had these last few days. His situation with Julia had took a toll on him for a bit. Since that night, he tried as hard as he could to remember that day in Cambodia. However, all he was able to draw in his mind was a blank.

Ryu expected to talk to Julia about that they planned to do upon their return to Earth. When that time comes, Ryu expected the two of them to go on their separate ways, but he would have to see what she says.

As the Japanese warrior continued heading back to the cave, he suddenly felt the wind suddenly pick up, blowing itself from behind Ryu causing the double tail of his red bandana to be pulled forward and sway in the air. Moments after, the chi in the air suddenly seemed dark. The second Ryu felt this, he stopped in his tracks.

 _Someone's here…_ he thought to himself.

Ryu then moved his head a bit to get a better look at his surroundings. Although the dark chi around him was strong, there was no one else in sight.

 _Where is it coming from?_ he thought again.

As he continued searching, Ryu suddenly realized that the chi suddenly began shifting itself. It was as though wherever the chi was coming from was constantly changing it's true location.

"Whoever you are," Ryu uttered. "Come and fight me if it's a fight that you want."

It was at that moment that he felt a dark presence behind him. Prepared for anything, Ryu turned himself around… and upon seeing the man standing just a few yards away, Ryu didn't feel much surprise… because the man standing there was none other than Akuma, the murderer of his master.

Ryu admitted to himself that the idea of Akuma possibly being here in Outworld left his mind a while ago, so Akuma had showed up a bit unexpectedly. Either way, Ryu always had the feeling that there was a chance for him to be here.

Now the idea was true.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Then, Akuma narrowed his red eyes at Ryu. "The time has come," he said in his deep voice. "It's time to give in to your true potential."

Ryu immediately got himself into his fighting stance. "That will never happen! And I believe the time has come to finally avenge my master!"

"So be it," Akuma replied.

From there, the two quickly shot their arms out as their own _Hadouken_ projectiles ejected from their hands. It wasn't long before the two projectile crashed into each other, creating a small explosion before disintegrating. This gave Ryu and Akuma the opportunity to leap at each other to engage in their battle.

For a short while, the two exchanged attacks, mostly finding themselves on defense while trying to attack the other. Eventually, Ryu was able to get the upper hand. He first performed a roundhouse kick at Akuma, causing the demon to make a quick spin around. Ryu then attempted a low spin kick, but Akuma managed to see this in time and leapt over it. As he began coming back down however, Ryu managed to perform a small uppercut. Akuma was stunned for a moment, but before he fell back to the ground, he managed to catch himself by somersaulting back. He then landed safely back to the ground with both feet.

Akuma then waited as Ryu covered the distance between them again. Ryu lashed out a few punches in which Akuma managed to block with his arms. When the chance came, he quickly performed two palm strikes at Ryu's face, immediately causing him to stagger back a bit. As he was distracted by the last attack, Akuma then attempted a low kick at Ryu's legs. The attack nearly made Ryu lose his balance, but he quickly managed to regain himself.

From there, Akuma attempted a hurricane kick, jumping up and maneuvering himself forward while spinning with one leg out. Ryu knew this move all too well and he quickly moved out of the way before he was hit.

Afterwards, Akuma landed back on his feet. Just as he was beginning to turn around to face his opponent, Ryu quickly performed a downward axe kick before spinning himself to perform a back kick, sending Akuma stumbling back. From there, Ryu prepared himself to shoot out another Hadouken.

Just moments later, Ryu suddenly felt a dark sensation within him… something he hadn't felt since before he came here in Outworld. He knew exactly what was going on.

The 'true potential' Akuma mentioned before… the Dark Hadou… it was trying to take control of Ryu at this very moment.

Ryu gritted his teeth, trying to control the dark sensation all the while trying to collect energy into his hands so that he could shoot a projectile. Soon, Akuma had recovered from the last attack and began making his way over to Ryu.

Without thinking, Ryu shot out the projectile. " _Hadouken!_ " he yelled out.

Ryu watched at Akuma was hit by the projectile, which sent him flying a few yards away. Once the projectile left him, Ryu suddenly felt weak and after Akuma was hit, he fell forward. Just before he blacked out, he realized that the color of his projectile was not it's normal light blue color…

Instead, it had looked more like a glowing fireball…

~~~

**Main Palace**

Throughout the night, Siegfried was only able to sleep for half the time. He mostly was falling in and out of sleep, not sure of whether or not he ever had any sort of dream during the time he actually was asleep.

Siegfried found himself looking up at the ceiling, guessing this was the millionth time he woke up during the night. He sighed to himself as thoughts of what transpired earlier in the evening came back to him…

He had spent a passionate evening with Princess Kitana earlier. Instead of it ending with any sort of bliss, it ended when he realized that the thing trying to control him for a while now attempted to take her soul. He knew then that he had to push her away, knowing that it would be too dangerous for her to be around him.

Despite saving her life, Siegfried still felt awful about what he did. Perhaps he shouldn't have ever shared himself with her. It would seem that they picked the worst time to do so…

As he thought through this, Siegfried came to a decision. Since everyone in the tournament was departing from Outworld tomorrow, he decided to at least try to talk to Kitana. He wasn't sure what to say to her. Heck, she probably wouldn't want to talk to him after what happened when she was here. But he felt that if he didn't try talking to her tomorrow, then there was a chance that they could depart on a bad note. This was especially considering that they both lived in different realms and there was a chance that they may never see each other again after tomorrow…

Eventually, Siegfried was finding himself falling asleep once again. However, it wouldn't last very long as he soon suddenly woke up in cold sweet.

Seconds later, he felt a sharp pain in his head, forcing him to sit up and hold his head with his hands. The sharp pain continued and it worsened to the point that he let out a loud grunt before falling out of his bed, taking the sheet that was around him along with him.

"What… is happening… to me…" he managed to utter through gritted teeth.

As Siegfried closed his eyes tightly shut, flashes suddenly came before him. He was soon able to make out the images in his vision…he was seeing himself killing countless people! One by one, he would kill a person and take their soul. A white flash would then blind him for a moment before he saw another image of himself killing another and taking his soul as well.

A realization came to Siegfried then. _Is this… what I've done during those black outs?_

The images appeared faster and faster with each passing moment. Soon, it seemed to reach it's highest speed. Soon, it all stopped. However, only one image remained in front of him, an image he never expected to see…

In front of him was _Chishio No Me_ itself.

Quickly, Siegfried snapped his eyes open… yet, all he could still see was _Chishio No Me_. "What the-" he managed to utter. "Why-"

Before he could analyze the meaning of this image, the artifact disappeared and all he was able to see now was darkness as he blacked out once again…

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress, Sleeping Quarters**

Throughout the night, Ivy was able to get a little sleep. Earlier, she had been struggling to at least stay still in her bed. After what seemed like a long night, Ivy opened her eyes, finding herself lying on her bed. It was still dark in her room, but upon looking out the window across from her, the fight line of light from the sun was appearing from behind the mountains, indicating the beginning of dawn.

 _Wouldn't be long before someone knocks on my door,_ Ivy thought to herself as she shifted herself on to her back. She then sighed to herself. She still felt tired, but she thought that she might as well start her day. As she sat up, she promised herself to return later in the afternoon to take a nap.

Either that or she could just be informed of today's plans. If it wasn't anything important, then she would just simply return to her sleeping quarters.

For a half hour after getting out of bed, Ivy took a hot bath for twenty minutes. Upon getting out, she got herself into her purple traditional fighting outfit which also contained gold trimmings. To most, it was more like a one-piece swimsuit attire with additional long boots, a long glove on her right hand, and a gold arm armor on her left arm.

As soon as she picked up her sword, she looked over at her nightstand. There sat _Chishio No Me_ , the artifact she happened to win in the tournament nearly twelve hours ago. Once again, the medallion's eye seemed as thought it was staring up at her.

"Hmph," Ivy hummed as she narrowed her blue eyes. "Sometimes I find it hard to believe that a little thing like you is capable of so much power." She then sighed a little as she walked up to it. "I'm quite sure Shao Kahn would like me to bring you along today."

Just as Ivy began reaching over to it, the red tear began to glow, causing Ivy to pull her hand back for just a moment. She found herself staring at the red tear for a while. Ivy wasn't sure whether or not she was being drawn to it's power or not.

Actually, she was hoping that wasn't the case.

"Does it always glow like this?" she asked herself.

Ivy then reached her arm out and took the medallion into her hand. Immediately, she was able to feel a slight surge within her as though the medallion was giving it's own power to her. Once more, she stared at it with curiosity.

She more stared at the red tear than anything else, finding herself a bit drawn to it. Ivy then noted the details of the tear. Although it was clean cut, she noted some of the jagged edges that were left behind. Briefly, she took her thumb and brushed it over the tear.

The moment she did this, a realization came to her. Ivy's eyes widened suddenly as though she was in shock.

"It… it can't be…" she uttered.

Quickly, she placed the medallion back down on the nightstand. Ivy then went over to her bag and briefly went through it before finding a brown pouch. She opened the brown pouch and emptied a single content into her hand, closing it before returning to the medallion.

Once again, Ivy picked up the medallion, the glow on the red tear still there. For a moment, Ivy was a bit hesitant about opening her other hand. She then took a deep breath before finally opening her palm.

In her other hand was a shard, which was slight bigger than the medallion's tear. Ivy compared the two briefly… and her eyes widened more at the shard glowed… matching the red glow _Chishio No Me_ possessed!

In shock, Ivy dropped both artifacts to the floor, each one landing in front of one of her feet. Her body began to shake as sorrow and rage quickly filled inside of her.

"No… **NO!** " she screamed out. "This wasn't supposed to happen! Why must this curse follow me?!"

Ivy had a good reason to be upset. It happened to be that both the shard and the red tear of _Chishio No Me_ shared a major thing in common. They were both part of a long history of her realm of Keisei. And it was part of a curse that fell upon Ivy from the day of her birth.

Now she understood why _Chishio No Me_ was known as 'the most powerful artifact ever known.' It was because it was part of another artifact that was even more powerful than this.

It was the very artifact Ivy loathed.

The very artifact that became known as one of the most searched swords in Keisei…

That artifact… was Soul Edge.


	65. Chapter Sixty-Four

**_The Next Morning…_ **

**Cave**

An hour after the break of dawn, most of the fighters in the cave were up and getting themselves ready for their departure. Many were looking forward to finally going home after staying in this realm for over a month.

In the lounge room, a majority of the items there were packed away. There, Rose looked around the area to make sure that everything was packed and that nothing in the room was missed. The items were to be left here and Raiden would take care of them once everyone was on the ships that would return them home.

Rose sighed to herself a little after realizing that everything was ready to go. _Seems like only yesterday when we all arrived here,_ she thought.

At that moment, she heard someone walking into the room. Rose turned her head and wasn't surprised to see Raiden enter the room.

"I've informed the mortals about the meeting," the Thunder God told her. "I've told a few to be ready at the campfire in two hours and they will be passing the message to each other."

"Good," Rose said with a single nod. "So from there, we will be able to talk with them about possible plans from this point on."

"Indeed," Raiden agreed. "Just to note, I haven't told anyone what the meeting will be about, only that it's important.

"It's for the best," Rose said. "I want them all to be in a relaxed state of mind before the meeting." She then sighed a little. "Out of curiosity… what do you think will happen at the meeting?"

Raiden shrugged. "We won't know until it happens. I do suspect, however, that one of two things could happen. Depending on the circumstances, the mortals could either be infiltrating the fortress tonight… or take another few days of planning, which would be mean, of course, that they will be going home this afternoon."

Another sigh escaped from Rose's lips. "Well… I hope that whatever happens that we will be able to destroy the medallion in the end."

"I hope for that as well," Raiden agreed. "Now… do we still have those Outworld fruit?"

"I threw everything out this morning," Rose said.

"Damn," Raiden uttered.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "I told everyone last night."

"Well someone failed to inform me," Raiden said. "To think I'm a Thunder God too."

"I heated up some tea if you want some," Rose offered.

Raiden couldn't help but smirk. "Well… I must admit, I'll miss our tea time."

"You could always visit me in Italy you know."

"That's true."

From there, the two enjoyed one last tea together in Outworld.

Outside the lounge, the curtain to Sonya Blade's room opened as she was packing her belongings. The blond agent turned her head and saw Delta Red's Matthew McCoy walk in. In his hands were a few pieces of paper.

"Sorry to interrupt," McCoy began. "But Guile wanted me to hand you these papers concerning the investigation here."

Sonya nodded a bit as she took the paper in her hands. "Thanks McCoy," she said with a small sigh.

McCoy noted the fact that Sonya wasn't exactly happy-go-lucky this morning. "Can't wait to go home, mate?" he asked her.

"At this point, yes," Sonya replied. "I don't know if you heard this morning, but some of us infiltrated the main palace this morning to find our fugitive Kira. We had intended to capture her and bring back to the States to charge her for all of her crimes. When we got into her room, it was completely empty…"

"So Guile told me," McCoy said. "Sorry it didn't work out, but I'm sure you'll find her again soon."

"I hope so too," Sonya nodded. She then stared up at him. "Are you looking forward to going home too?"

McCoy shrugged a little. "I am, but I'm expecting a new mission to be thrown at my desk the minute I return." A chuckled escaped his throat after this statement. "Oh yes, and just to let you know that Lita and Ginzu are at the main palace right now doing last minute checks… just in case."

"I don't think we'll come up with anything, but at least looking around one last time doesn't hurt," Sonya said.

"That's what Lita said," McCoy mentioned. "It was her idea after all. She was going to have Cammy go with her, but she couldn't find her this morning, most likely at breakfast with Jin."

"You're probably right," Sonya said. "Speaking of breakfast, I'm going to go out and pick some fruit for a little bit. I'll try to be back in ten to twenty minutes so if anyone asks, let them know."

"All right… are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" McCoy asked.

"Don't worry, I can manage," Sonya said. "If I'm not back in a half hour, come find me."

"All right," McCoy said. From there, they both left the room with McCoy heading to the lounge and Sonya heading outside.

A few rooms down, Yang was going through his own stuff to make sure that everything was ready to go. With him, Maki was helping him out as she had already finished her packing last night.

"I think everything is ready to go," Yang said as he zipped up the only luggage he had with him. He then chuckled in his mind a little as he remembered his sudden decision to come to this tournament. His brother Yun had already packed a luggage for him, hoping that Yang would change his mind by the time they reached the ships that had taken them here.

The reason for his sudden decision was because he spotted the blonde beauty that was now here with him.

"Good," said Maki with a small smile. "At least we're completely sure that you won't leave anything behind."

"True," Yang said with a small laugh. "I have to admit… I'm actually very glad that the end is finally here. Mainly, I just want Yun to stop seeing that Anna girl, but more importantly, I want to know how my grandfather's doing." He then sighed a little as he looked over at Maki. "Then again, at the same time, I didn't want this stay to end, knowing that it means that I'll be separating from you."

Maki tried to smile in reply. "I know. Things will be a bit hard once we return to Earth. But you know I'll visit you in two weeks once I get my flight arrangements ready."

Yang slowly brushed his fingers over her cheek in reply. "And you know I look forward to that day."

The two were just beginning to lean in to share a kiss when they heard coughing just a couple of feet away. Yang and Maki were both expecting Yun to be next to them, but upon turning their heads to see who it was, they were a bit surprised to see Cody standing there.

"Hey Cody," Maki said.

"Hey," Cody sighed. "Listen… can I have a word with you… preferably now?"

"Sure," Maki said. She then turned her head to Yang. "I'll be back."

"Take your time," Yang encouraged. "I'm expecting Yin to swing back in a bit to discuss breakfast." He then briefly kissed Maki before she departed from the room.

Once she was outside, Cody spoke. "Have you seen Guy at all this morning?"

Maki shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"Neither has anyone else it seems," Cody said grimly. "Last time I saw him, he was heading to the hot springs. I'm starting to get a feeling that he hasn't returned at all last night."

Upon hearing this, Maki's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean… he went alone?" Cody nodded, which was the answer Maki didn't want to know. "I hope nothing happened to him…"

"That's what I'm hoping," Cody said. "But it's unlikely for him to be gone for this long without informing anyone. Listen… I need your help… we should go and look for him."

"Where do we even start?"

"Let's go towards the springs," Cody suggested. "Perhaps we could find clues around and towards that area. We'll look around until we're due for the meeting."

Maki nodded, feeling a bit confident in Cody's words. "All right. Let me get my batons and we'll head out."

"All right," Cody said. From there, the two began departing in order to start their search in finding their long-time friend.

Not too far, Kitana was one of the few still in bed. Unlike the others however, she happened to be fully awake…

With a blanket covering most of her body, Kitana thought about her days here in Outworld, going back to the beginning of this tournament. She had expected to just come here to represent her home world of Edenia and hoped to emerge the victor of the tournament as she wanted the medallion to make her world a better place.

Instead, it became much more the moment she met Siegfried… she ended up developing deep feelings for the Keisei native. However, last night, he pushed her away after spending some passionate time together. Now as she though through this, the Edenian Princess was beginning to realize that perhaps the both of them were never meant to be together.

 _Besides,_ she thought. _He's from Keisei and I'm from Edenia…_

As she continued with her thoughts, she never noticed her mother Sindel entering her room. In the older woman's hand was a bowl of soup with the spoon inside and hot steam floating upward from the bowl.

"Kitana?" Sindel called out, breaking the silence.

The Princess of Edenia sighed to herself a little upon hearing her mother's voice. Soon after, she moved the blanket down a bit and slowly sat herself up from her bed. As she did, Sindel walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"I thought you might be hungry," Sindel guessed as she began handing the bowl to her.

Briefly, Kitana looked in the bowl. It was a simple soup with a few vegetables. She then took it into her hand and took a moment to eat the soup.

"Thank you mother," she finally said after a few minutes.

Sindel nodded as she took the bowl of soup back upon realizing that her daughter was finished with her meal. "You're welcome." The Queen sighed a little before continuing. "I'm sorry that this whole thing with Siegfried didn't work out."

Kitana looked over at her mother. She knew that the Queen knew nothing about her sneaking to his room last night, but she guessed that Sindel knew how she was feeling anyway, especially with the recent events these past few days.

"I was just hoping that things would work out," the Princess said. "Perhaps it wasn't meant to be."

"Things will get better," Sindel mentioned. "And you will be able to move on. It'll be easier upon our return home."

Kitana nodded, unsure of what to say. Although she really did wish that things worked out between her and Siegfried, she knew that things would get better. If she managed to go on with her life after years of servitude of Shao Kahn, then she could easily move on from this…

~~~

**Forest, Near The Cave**

For some time during the early morning, Sonya Blade walked through the forest, mainly to collect some fruit. She had wanted to eat some of them for breakfast and later during the trip back to Earth.

Sonya only intended to be gone for a half hour and was only able to find a large berry-like fruit by the time the half hour was up. She knew that if she didn't get back soon that her allies would start looking for her.

 _Last thing I want is for them to be worried while I'm actually fine,_ she thought as she began heading to the direction towards the cave, eating the single fruit along the way.

As she did, Sonya viewed her surroundings. For a place like Outworld, the day seemed quite bright and cheerful. Despite that, she was definitely looking forward to returning to Earth later this afternoon.

Eventually during her walk back, Sonya came across a spot she hasn't seen for quite some time… the resting place of Ibuki, one of the Chosen Ones who was killed at the end of the second round of the tournament.

Sonya had finished up her fruit by then and threw it on the opposite end. She then decided to take a brief moment to remove some of the weeds that were beginning to develop around the boulder that bared Ibuki's name. A frown came over the blonde woman's face as thoughts came to her…

She imagined that this spot was only Ibuki's temporarily resting place and that Raiden and Rose would somehow arrange for her body to be transported back to Earth…

Back to her family…

 _I can't imagine how her parents will feel upon learning of her death…_ Sonya thought sadly.

Just as she began getting up, Sonya suddenly heard footsteps not too far from her. Sonya's head immediately turned towards that direction and she tried to get a better look at the area. However, she couldn't see anything, but she had no doubt that someone was nearby.

 _Don't tell me they've started looking for me already,_ she thought to herself.

Sonya began walking over to the area where she heard the footsteps. It only took her a minute to get there and by the time she did, a perplexed look came over her face… no one was there.

"Strange," she said to herself. "I thought that-"

She then suddenly heard someone behind her step on a twig, causing it to snap. Sonya quickly whirled around just in time to see a familiar woman stop herself from walking. Sonya narrowed her eyes at her.

"Kira."

Kira smirked upon hearing Sonya say her name. Since this morning, she and another guard were sent out by Shao Kahn on a morning lookout to make sure that all was ready for their main plan. After spending nearly all morning out here, Kira believed that things will get interesting now.

"Looking for me I assume," she said.

"Of course," Sonya replied. "I've been looking for you ever since the day you escaped me during our last encounter."

Sonya knew that the next thing she was going to say wasn't going to sway Kira. However, as a Special Forces agent, it was part of her job.

"Kira, under Special Forces authority, you are under arrest for various crimes which include robbery, larceny, smuggling, weapon possession-"

"Save it!" Kira called out. "You honestly think it'll be _that_ easy to arrest me?"

Sonya narrowed her eyes at the red-haired woman. "Of course not."

Kira smirked a little. "If you really want to arrest me…" she then slowly got into a fighting stance. "You'll have to fight me first."

Sonya sighed a little before getting into her own fighting stance as well. "Just as I expected. If that's what you want, then that's fine by me."

After making that statement, Kira didn't waste any more time as she jumped forward towards Sonya. As soon as the red-haired woman was able to reach her, the two began their combat. For a while, the two women mostly exchanged moves, both of them switching between offense and defense.

Two minutes passed before Sonya was able to get the upper hand. She first performed a high kick, forcing Kira to maneuver herself sideways. Before Kira could regain herself, Sonya quickly jabbed her elbow and connected it at Kira's face. The younger woman let out a quick cry in surprise and just as she was beginning to feel the pain on her face, Sonya quickly performed a back kick forcing Kira to stumble back a few feet.

After a quick recovery, Kira growled under her breath and narrowed her eyes at Sonya with anger. "You bitch!" she yelled out before shooting her hands out. Upon extending her hands, a pink projectile emerged and began speeding towards her opponent.

In retaliation, Sonya shot out her own pink projectile which came out as four oval rings. Not long after, the two projectiles collided with each other, causing a small explosion before completely dispersing.

Afterward, Sonya and Kira ran over to each other and began battling again. They exchange of punches and kicks lasted a shorter time before Kira was able to get herself on the offense. She quickly performed a double punch before spinning herself halfway before smacking her elbow into Sonya's face. The force of the blow was hard enough to knock Sonya to the ground.

Kira smirked with satisfaction. _Seems that I'll win this fight sooner than I thought._

However, before she could make another move, Sonya managed to get herself in a hand stand and quickly wrap her legs around Kira's neck. Kira was caught by surprise for a moment, but soon regained herself and she attempted to pry Sonya's legs off of her. Before she could, Sonya quickly began to bring her legs behind her and back towards the ground. Halfway through, Sonya let her grip on Kira go, sending her flying a few yards away. Upon landing on the ground, Kira slid on the ground a couple of more feet before coming to a stop, leaving behind dirt on her clothes and scratches on her skin. Some of the scratches began to slightly bleed almost immediately.

Sonya stood herself up at this point and stayed in her fighting stance as she waited for Kira to get herself back up. A smirk came over the blonde's face.

 _Perhaps my win will be inevitable,_ she thought.

~~~

**Main Palace Grounds**

Sitting on a bench, Lita Luwanda looked around the area with boredom. She had been on a last minute watch along with George Ginzu since this morning. Their team had hoped that they could receive any last minute clues on their investigation. However, as Lita had expected, nothing came up.

As a matter of fact, she hardly saw anyone walking the palace grounds, assuming that many of them were inside getting ready for their trip home.

"I think it's time to go back to the cave," Lita suddenly said out loud.

Ginzu nodded a little as he was looking through some files on his laptop. "I think so too. We've been here for a few hours and at this point, I don't think there's anything left for us."

Lita got herself on her feet and stretched herself out. "I'm glad you agree with me then."

After another few seconds, Ginzu closed the flap of the computer and placed it in a bag before getting up. "All right, let's go."

They began heading back to the cave. Neither one of them spoke a word during the first five minutes of their walk. Eventually, Lita decided that she didn't like the silence and began chatting.

"I'm so glad we're going back to Earth today," she said. "I was really getting sick of being here. It's really dark and dank here."

"I mainly can't wait to go back because I want my internet connection back," Ginzu mentioned.

Lita laughed a little at the comment. "Why am I not surprised?"

Once again, silence fell between the two as they ran out of things to say for now. This time however, it only lasted two minutes before Lita found herself chuckling a bit as a thought came to her.

Ginzu looked over at her with a perplexed look on his face. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Lita managed to stop chuckling and she looked up at the sky. "Well it's not really that funny to be honest," she said. "Knowing how much I hate this realm… knowing my luck, we'll somehow end up being stuck here longer."

After the comment, Lita glanced over at her side where Ginzu was walking next to her. She then became a little bit perplexed upon realizing that he wasn't there.

"Ginzu?" she asked out loud.

Not even a second passed when Lita suddenly heard what sounded like a weapon being unsheathed from it's scabbard before a sound as though a sponge was being squeezed was heard. Lita's heart froze upon realizing what may have happened.

 _Please,_ she began thinking. _Don't tell me it's true…_

Slowly, Lita turned behind her and she soon got a view of a man dressed in guard clothes. She noted the gleam in his eyes as though he was satisfied. She then saw the long sword in his hand… and she gasped in horror as she saw Ginzu's now lifeless body at the end of his sword with blood dripping down from his chest.

" **GINZU!** "

~~~

**Cave**

"Say, have you seen Sonya around?" said a voice that belonged to McCoy.

The following voice that replied belonged to Guile. "No, I haven't seen her since we returned to the cave this morning after our mission."

"Damn," McCoy said. "She had said that she was going to go get some berries and that she would be back in ten minutes. It's been almost an hour now."

These were the words Wagner was listening to just as he was approaching the lounge room to look for breakfast. Upon learning that neither McCoy or Guile have seen Sonya within the last hour, Wagner began to grow slightly concern. He knew that Sonya was a strong woman and felt confident that she was completely fine.

 _But still,_ he thought. _One could never know…_

After thinking that, Wagner decided that he should go out and look for Sonya. He walked down the hallway and briefly stopped by her room, just in case. He slightly pulled the curtain aside and peaked inside. The young man found himself frowning a bit upon seeing that she wasn't in her room.

 _Damn,_ he thought just before he began heading out of the cave.

For a while, Wagner searched the cave grounds before he dared himself to leave the grounds by himself. _I hope she didn't go_ _too_ _far,_ he thought again with a small sigh escaped his lips.

Wagner wasn't sure how long he was walking before he noted Ibuki's grave a few yards away. He walked another few feet before he noticed something from the corner of his eye. He turned his head to get a better look and sighed of relief upon seeing Sonya sitting down on the ground, leaning against a tree.

"Oh good," Wagner said as he quickly approached her.

Sonya heard his footsteps and turned her head to face him. She smirked a little. "Hey Scott," she said.

"Hey. McCoy and Guile were looking for you."

Sonya sighed. "Rats. I thought I was gone from the cave for too long."

At that moment, Wagner noticed the multiple beads of sweat pouring down her face. The young man couldn't help but to grin. "You look like you just got into a cat fight."

The blonde-haired woman chuckled a little. "Well, I can kind of say it's the true. I actually ran into Kira a moment ago. As you can see, I tried to arrest her, but unfortunately, she managed to escape."

"Bummer," Wagner said as he sat down next to her. "So what now?"

Sonya only shrugged in reply. A few moments of silence passed between the two. During that time, Wagner noted that Sonya seemed to be looking up at the sky with her mouth partly opened. He felt a bit grim upon seeing a slightly hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Is… everything okay?" Wagner asked, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

Sonya smiled a little, which gave Wagner some relief. "Yeah… I'm okay," she said a bit quietly. "I was just kind of thinking… do you believe in fate?"

Wagner exhaled a little upon hearing the question. "I'm not sure to be honest. I mean... if it is true… then why is it that my sister has the fate she has? A cruel one at that?"

Sonya blinked a couple of times. "I guess only the Elder Gods know…"

Wagner looked up at the sky. "Yeah… I guess."

He only looked up at the sky for a few seconds before looking back at Sonya, noting that her eyes were closed. Wagner smirked a little.

"Well don't go to sleep now," he said. "We still have a few more hours before we leave."

He stared at Sonya for a moment, expecting her to at least speak, but no reply came.

"Sonya?"

A sudden chilling feeling came over Wagner at that moment, a feeling that he couldn't explain. Slowly, he reached his hand over and touched shoulder. He had barely placed his fingers on her when she suddenly fell over towards him. Wagner sat up a bit from his sitting position and quickly caught Sonya in his arms.

"Sonya, what's wrong?" he asked as he turned her a bit. Soon, however, he found his answer, an answer that caused him to gasp in horror.

Sonya's own blood seeped through her shirt from her upper abdomen. He then noted a tear in her shirt and he was able to see the deep wound through it…

Upon this realization, Wagner felt his own breath shorten in shock. He looked back down at Sonya before slowly reaching over to her neck. He placed two fingers on the side in hopes to feel for a pulse.

…There was none…

 _No…_ Wagner thought sadly. _Damn it! Why didn't you tell me you were…_

Wagner's mind suddenly seem to freeze as he cradled Sonya's lifeless body in his arms, at only point placing a hand over her head which laid under his chin. He found himself gritting his teeth from underneath his closed lips.

For quite some time after, silent tears fell from his face…

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

In the Emperor's throne room, nearly every member of Shao Kahn's army had gathered around in the large area. They all softly chattered amongst themselves…at least until the heavy doors leading into the room opened and a heavy set of footsteps were heard. Everyone quickly fell silent upon realizing exactly who was coming into the room.

Shao Kahn paced himself through the room, walking down the long red rug which lead to his throne. His crimson colored caped, slightly charred and ripped at the ends after enduring many years in battle, swayed slightly behind him. Everyone in the room watched him until he finally reached the throne. He then turned himself around to face everyone.

The room was dead silent as everyone awaited for the Emperor's orders.

Soon, his deep, booming voice echoed around the room…

"The time has come! Go! Go to the tournament grounds! Annihilate the warriors and collect their souls! Do not fail!"

The entire room cheered for a moment before they began departing the room. The Emperor sat at his throne and watched as everyone left through the large doors.

 _Soon,_ he thought. _The souls will make their way to this fortress… and I will become more powerful than ever!_


	66. Chapter Sixty-Five

**Main Palace**

In his room, Yoshimitsu sat on the floor with his legs crossed while meditating. All was silent in the room, which was exactly what he wanted right now.

For a while, Yoshimitsu's mind was completely clear from any thoughts. He mainly concentrated on his slow, rhythmic breathing so that he stayed as content as he was since he sat down.

Soon, thoughts on the last twelve hours came to his mind. He had hoped that Jin would have won the tournament as he was the only one of the two final participants still in the competition at the time. Yoshimitsu was never able to get into contact with Ivy, who ended up emerging the victor.

The night before the final day of the tournament, Yoshimitsu was able to get information on all the reservations in this palace. He wasn't surprised when he couldn't find Ivy's name on the list.

He had the feeling that she was definitely working for Outworld's Emperor, the one who had been in possession of the medallion since The Blood Tournament began. Even if he was wrong, he was still going to once again infiltrate the fortress and find the medallion. He will not leave Outworld until either he leaves with the artifact or until he finds a possible clue of it's new whereabouts.

He would have to see.

For another five minutes, Yoshimitsu continued to meditate quietly. Then, unexpectedly, a couple of white flashes quickly passed his vision despite his eyes being closed. Yoshimitsu sat still, waiting to see what his visions will bring to him.

A few more white flashes passed, coming to him in fast rate. Soon he was able to notice an item in between the quick flashes. After a few more, he instantly recognized it…

_Chishio No Me._

Yoshimitsu continued to wait, wondering what was to come next…

Soon, the flashes stopped and the medallion in his vision disappeared. Another vision comes to him, one that he never expected…

What looked like a big battle was taking place. He recognized the area being from Outworld despite the blood red sky above. He continued watching, trying to figure out what this could mean…

That was, until he was able to recognize some of the tournament participants.

Quickly, Yoshimitsu snapped his eyes open, getting rid of the vision. He felt slightly out of breath from the surprise vision.

A dark feeling suddenly came over him. The thought of recognizing some of the participants in the vision forced him to rise to his feet and quickly made his way to the balcony in his room. He pushed the double doors open with force and walked to the edge of the balcony.

The dark feeling was worse than it was when he was inside. The air suddenly felt different as well, something he couldn't describe. And despite the sun above, the area seemed darker than normal.

Yoshimitsu began to realize that his vision was a desperate warning…

_It looks to be that no one will be heading home anytime soon…_

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

_It seems that everywhere I go… Soul Edge follows me…_

Tears stained Ivy Valentine's face as she hung her head down, her chin-length hair dangling over her eyes. She sat on the floor with her back leaning against her own bed. Every once in a while, she would look over at the medallion which laid a foot away from her. And each time she did glance at it, it was as though the eye stared right back, mocking her.

A few inches away was a red shard, a piece of an infamous sword known as Soul Edge. The shard matched the red tear that had been placed on the medallion and both glowed a bit in unison.

Ever since the day Ivy began seeking out Soul Edge (and eventually finding out the truth about it), it was as though she was cursed to be associated with the powerful artifact for eternity… that was unless…

The weapon was known to use a person as it's 'host body' whenever they touched the hilt. It was lucky for Ivy to learn of this before she even touched the sword. However, learning the truth about Soul Edge came with a price…

It had happened four years ago, just after her snake sword was given it's power. She had been on a journey to search for Soul Edge when she ran into the Azure knight Nightmare. He had been the one to give life to her sword and because of it, she agreed to help him in a ceremony to help summon souls for him. Souls were what he needed to make him more powerful.

Up to this point, she had no idea that Nightmare possessed Soul Edge.

It didn't take too long before Ivy began to feel guilty about taking the lives of innocent people. She had tried escaping one night when Astaroth, another who was part of the ceremony, caught up with her. He had revealed to her that Nightmare was the one who had Soul Edge all along and that the only reason he let her join him was because the sword had told her to keep her close. Just in case anything happened, then she would be it's spare host.

Ivy refused to believe this and the two fought. Astaroth had nearly defeated her when three unknown people intervened and began fighting the golem. He sent some minions after her, but she defeated them easily.

Afterward, she decided to ask Nightmare about it, but before she could speak to him, a young ninja by the name of Taki confronted her. Ivy, having been frustrated to begin with, tried to fight her, but was easily defeated. From there, Taki had told her more than the truth and she could never forget her words…

_Soul Edge's energy… I can feel it within your sword. It seems as though Nightmare has fused some of Soul Edge's essence into your sword. Not only that, but I can sense the same evil aura surrounding your entire being. It's just like the last person I ran into, the previous owner of Soul Edge… Cervantes de Leon…_

It wasn't exactly her words as Ivy had asked many questions that day. At that time, she was already aware that the man Taki mentioned, Cervantes, was her own father. Not only was her own sword evil, but so was her own blood. So long as Soul Edge was still existing, so was this curse.

The truth had shaken her up to the point where she placed herself in isolation for four years until she was able to find renewed confidence. Since then, she's had the drive to destroy Soul Edge and everything connected to it.

That included Cervantes… and eventually, herself.

After thinking through her thoughts for quite sometime, the tears stopped and Ivy lifted her head up a bit. She then took a deep breath and mustered up the strength to get herself on her feet, using her own bed as a support.

Ivy then stared down at the medallion again for a moment before taking her foot and kicking it away from her. The artifact slid across the ground until it stopped in the middle of the room. Once it came to a halt, Ivy picked up her sword, which had rested on her bed.

"To think that I came for this thing just to destroy Soul Edge once and for all," Ivy said bitterly. "…Only to find out that I was only chasing a part of the cursed sword this whole time!"

A thought came to her then. Ivy wondered if Shao Kahn knew the truth about _Chishio No Me_ … but if he did, wouldn't he have told her about it?

Either way, when she was done with the medallion, it would no longer exist… it was a part of Soul Edge after all.

"It's time to end this!" Ivy said as she raised her sword above her head as she got ready to strike it down on the medallion…

~~~

**Forest**

"I can't wait until we get on the ships," said Li Mei. "Then I'll finally be away from this realm for good."

"It'll just be another six hours from now," replied Alex.

For the last forty-five minutes, the two of them walked around the forest area between the cave grounds and the main palace. Alex had the idea of collecting some fruit for the trip home and invited Li Mei to come with her. Li Mei agreed to it, "so long that we don't separate." They didn't collect that many fruit, but they planned to walk around for another fifteen minutes before returning back to the cave.

The two were silent for some time as they continued strolling through the forest. Soon, Li Mei spoke. "So what is Earthrealm like?" she asked.

Alex looked up at the purple sky for a moment. "Well… the sky is actually a light blue, but the trees are kind of the same as the ones here. Technology is very different from there, that's for sure."

"So I remember hearing," Li Mei said. She then suddenly pointed out in front of her. "Look over there… there are few more berries in that bush."

"Oh good," Alex said. "I was hoping we'd at least find something before we went back to the cave."

The two women walked over to the bush and began picking the large berries, examining them before placing them in their baskets. As they did, a thought came to Alex and she glanced over at Li Mei.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," the Special Forces agent began to ask. "Do you have family?"

Li Mei sighed a little. "I did… at one time. My parents died when I was young and for a long time, it had been only my older brother and I under the care of our grandfather. They... both died not too long ago."

Alex frowned a bit. "I'm sorry to hear that Li Mei."

"Looks like we got all the berries from this bush," Li Mei suddenly said, obviously wanting to change the subject. "Let's go look for more."

"Um, sure," Alex replied. "We have another ten-"

Alex was suddenly cut off by the sound of a snapping twig. She quickly turned her head to the noise and briefly looked around her surroundings. The only thing that moved were the branches on the trees which were swaying in the quiet wind.

Li Mei noted Alex glancing around. "Um," she started to ask, feeling a bit uneasy. "What's wrong?"

Alex shook her head slightly. "Nothing. I think it was just my mind playing games."

"Don't you hate that?" the Outworld native asked with a small laugh. "Especially when-"

"Look out!" Alex suddenly called out and she grabbed Li Mei and pushed her to the floor, landing next to her as well.

"Ah!" Li Mei called out as she looked up. "What the-"

That's when a few small steel darts whizzed by the spot where their heads had been seconds ago, all of them eventually hitting the trees. Li Mei then darted her eyes over to where the small weapons came from… and gasped upon seeing a few tarkatans coming towards, them, their blades out and ready to taste some blood.

"Just great," Li Mei said as she began to get up along with Alex. "What do you think they want from us?"

"I don't know," Alex said unsurely. "But there's no way in hell I'm going to get kidnapped again!"

"If that's their intention to begin with! But I have a feeling that's not the case!"

Suddenly then, a tarkatan jumped over at them. In a startled state, Li Mei quickly brought her hand out in his direction and a purple sparkling projectile shot out and hit the tarkatan, knocking him to the floor.

Meanwhile, Alex was suddenly grabbed from behind by another tarkatan. Her eyes widened upon seeing a close-up of the mutant's blades. Then, in a desperation to get out of his grip, she elbowed him in the face, knocking him back away from her (and knocking some of his teeth out in a process). Alex then rapidly turned around while performing a spin kick, knocking the tarkatan further away from her.

Then, another tarkatan jumped towards her. When he was close enough, she performed a backward flip and manage to catch him under his chin with her foot, knocking him back. After getting back on her feet, another tarkatan reached her, but she quickly kicked it away.

Meanwhile, Li Mei just finished performing a cartwheel kick, knocking a tarkatan into a tree hard enough to render it unconscious. Another mutant went after her. Li Mei flew forward, her feet off the ground, and performed multiple punches at the tarkatan before sending it flying into another of its kind.

"Li Mei!" Alex called out from a few feet away. At this point, they managed to take down all the tarkatans, though some of them were just beginning to get themselves back up.

Li Mei quickly turned to her. "What?"

"Don't you think these guys are a little… too easy to beat?"

The Outworld native frowned upon this realization. "Yeah… they were, weren't they?"

That's when Li Mei noticed someone behind a tree. The person hadn't noticed her as they were looking in another direction. Li Mei maneuvered herself a bit to get a better look and she gasped upon recognizing their face.

"Shang Tsung!" she called out.

Shang Tsung turned his head to the young woman and smirked as he emerged from his hiding place. He then looked over at the tarkatans. "Leave now! You are no longer of any use at this time!"

"Yes master," one tarkatan said as he and the others began to leave, save for the ones who were unconscious.

By then, Alex joined up with Li Mei, a bit surprised to see the sorcerer here as well.

"I assume you ladies are surprised to see me," Shang Tsung said to them. "I admit, I was surprised to see you _both_ here together. I was expected to see one or the other, but this is more of a convenient after all."

"What do you want with us?!" Li Mei demanded.

"It's quite simple my dear," the sorcerer answered. "I want you two to join with me."

Alex rolled her eyes a little. "And let me guess… if we don't, we die, right?"

Shang Tsung laughed. "No, not at all. You two have much use for me and it would be a shame to see either of you die. So, on the contrary, if you choose not to join me, then I have no choice but to use force."

"You bastard!" Li Mei cried out. "We won't let that happen!" At that moment, she began sprinting over towards the sorcerer.

"NO!" Alex yelled. To her dismay, her word never reached Li Mei as she jumped towards him. Shang Tsung quickly put a hand out and a fireball emerged and knocked Li Mei back into the nearest tree before sliding back to the ground.

"Li Mei!" Alex called out as she ran over to her friend. Li Mei herself was still awake, but struggled to sit herself up. Alex began to help her sit up.

"Impressive," Shang Tsung said with a bit of sarcasm. "But I'm afraid that will do you no good."

The two young women looked over at the sorcerer. They were both silent as the same thought came to their minds… even if they tried to fight him, they knew that, unless a miracle came along, that they had no chance in beating the sadistic sorcerer…

But they just had to try…

~~~

**Cave Grounds**

"The mission was definitely a disappointment," said Wolfman. "But the bright side is that we do have some information about the medallion."

"So then at least we have something to report to our superiors," finished McCoy.

The two of them, along with Guile, walked around the cave grounds, mainly to get some fresh air, as they talked about their now-failed mission.

Guile sighed a little. "Well, at least we leave today… and at least this morning has gone without any incidents so far."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Wolfman said.

At that moment, the three of them noticed Kenshi coming to their direction. They guessed that he was just coming back from some training.

"Good morning," Guile said to him.

"Morning," the blind swordsman simply replied.

A thought came to Wolfman then. "Oh yes… Kenshi, I just want to let you know that Alex went out to collect some fruit and Li Mei went along with her. They left about less than an hour ago, so they should be back soon enough. Alex wanted to tell you, but you were already gone by the time she woke up this morning."

Kenshi simply nodded in reply.

A sudden thought came to Guile then. _You know… I don't think I've seen Cammy all morning…_

"Colonel!" a female voice suddenly cried out in what seemed like desperation.

The four men turned their heads and they soon noticed Lita Luwanda running over towards them. It took them another second to realize that her face were stained with tears.

"Lita?" questioned McCoy.

Soon Lita caught up to them and Wolfman looked at her with concern. "Luwanda, what's wrong? Where's Ginzu?"

"He's dead!" Lita cried out frantically. "A fucking bloody guard killed him! I don't even know why he did it! All I know is that I fucking killed him right after and-"

Wolfman placed his hands on her shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself soldier," he said as calmly as he could despite just losing one of his teammates. He waited until Lita took her time to take some deep breaths before continuing. "Where is his body?"

"About ten minutes from here," Lita replied, her voice shaking. She then noticed something from the corner of her eye. She moved her head a bit to get a better look and gasped upon seeing what it was. "This can't get any worse…"

Wolfman turned around to see what she was looking at. By then, Guile, Kenshi, and McCoy were running in that direction. Ahead of them, Wagner was walking towards them. In his arms was Sonya, who seemed to be not moving.

Guile was the first to reach him. "Is she all right?" he asked. Wagner immediately looked up at his surrogate father. Upon seeing the grim look in his eyes, Guile frowned, realizing that they had lost yet another ally.

After a moment of silence, Guile turned his head to McCoy. "Get her to the cave." McCoy nodded as he took Sonya' lifeless body in his arms from Wagner and began heading back to the cave.

Wagner took a deep breath before speaking. "It was Kira. Sonya mentioned that the two fought right before she…"

"Ginzu's dead too…" said Wolfman as he and Lita approached the group.

"What?!" Wagner called out, his eyes widened.

"Two of our allies died within an hour," said Kenshi. "Either it's coincidence or something's going on."

"I don't know," said Guile. "But I realized that I haven't seen Cammy all morning either."

Lita looked over at the Colonel. "You don't think something happened to her too, do you?"

"I hope not," replied Wagner.

Wolfman then looked over at Lita. "You said a guard killed Ginzu?"

Lita nodded. "He just came up to him and stabbed him from behind…"

"Something is fishy," said Guile. "…A guard just killing at random doesn't seem to make sense."

"You don't think some killing spree is going down right now, do you?" asked Wagner. "I mean, don't those guards work for the Emperor or something."

"He may be right," said Wolfman. "If that's the case, then we're going to have to gather everyone right-" At that moment, his eyes suddenly widened in horror as a realization came to him. "My God… Li Mei and Alex are still in the forest!"

Immediately after that was said, no one in the group wasted another moment and began sprinting into the forest in the direction towards the main palace. After a minute, they began to spread themselves apart in hopes of better finding their two allies.

"I just hope… they didn't go… too far…" said Guile in between breaths.

"They said they…wouldn't," replied Wolfman.

They ran for another five minutes before they finally heard a loud shriek not too far from them. The group soon began running in the direction where the scream came from and within two minutes, the group saw a figure standing a few yards away. They ran a bit closer before stopping once they recognized who it was.

"Is that Shang Tsung?" asked Lita.

Indeed it was the sorcerer… and over each of his shoulders were Li Mei and Alex, both who were now unconscious.

Shang Tsung smirked at them. "It's good to see you all arrive to try to fight me… however, I'm afraid it isn't the best time to do so at the moment."

Quickly, Kenshi drew out his sword and began stepping towards the sorcerer. "Let them go!" he demanded with rage.

The smirk on Shang Tsung's face grew even more bigger upon recognizing the swordsman. "I'm afraid that won't be happening." With that, the sorcerer quickly placed his hand out and a large fireball shot out. It landed on the ground just in front of them, causing it to explode. The energy's force knocked the five back a few feet before landing on the ground, giving the sorcerer a chance to open up a portal and disappear through it with Li Mei and Alex in tow.

The group soon recovered from the blast and stood themselves up. "Damn it!" cried out Wolfman. "That cheap bastard…"

"I knew something fishy was going on..." said Guile.

"First Ginzu and Sonya are dead, now Li Mei and Alex are captured," mentioned Lita.

"This just gets better by the minute," said Wagner.

Guile happened to look over to his left and saw Kenshi beginning to walk away. "Kenshi!" he called out. "Where are you going?"

"To find them," the swordsman replied as he continued walking. "You guys go and warn the others about the possible threat."

"You're not going by yourself!" Guile yelled out as he ran over to catch up with him.

"He brought them to Shao Kahn's Fortress," Kenshi mentioned. "I've been there before."

"I believe you," Guile said. "But this is not something you should be doing alone. Especially with someone as powerful as Shang Tsung is-"

"This isn't the first time I met him… the first time was over a decade ago. I'm fully aware of how powerful he is." Kenshi emphasized his point by slightly tugging onto his red blindfold, which covered his eyes.

Guile was silent for a moment, surprised by what he had just learned. "He… blinded you?"

"Surprisingly he never intended to blind me," Kenshi replied. "His true intention was to consume the souls of my ancestors and I plan to free them from his grasps." He then quietly sighed before proceeding. "Now he has Alex… when I reach him, I'm going to make sure he burns in hell for an eternity."

Guile nodded, now understanding where he was coming from. "At least let me come with you for this reason… there could be a chance that the girls could be separated. If that was the case, if we end up finding either of them, one of us could get her out of there while the other looks for the other girl."

Kenshi was silent for a moment before nodding. "Let's not waste any more time."

Guile then turned his head to Wolfman, Wagner, and Lita. "Get back to the cave and warn the others about the situation."

"Right," Wolfman said.

He and Lita began to head back. Wagner hung back for a moment, looking over at Guile. Guile nodded to him. "Everything will be fine, kid."

Wagner nodded back at him before he began following Wolfman and Lita.

~~~

**Cave**

In his room, Ken Masters looked over a picture which contained himself along with his wife Eliza and his young son Mel. He smirked to himself at the thought of seeing them again very soon.

They were the number one reason he was looking forward to going home. He imagined them waiting for him at the dock in San Francisco, smiling and waving at him as he stepped off the ship which had led him here to Outworld in the first place.

 _It definitely won't be long before that comes true_ _,_ he thought to himself.

Ken then thought about the cruise he promised his wife they would go on prior to his departure. They would probably end up cruising around Hawaii or Alaska…he would have to see.

Soon, he placed the picture in his bag before closing it. As he did, he heard a female voice calling out his name.

Ken turned his head to the curtain, recognizing the voice. "Come in Julia."

The curtain to his room opened and Julia walked in. Ken noted her outfit… her denim jacket that matched her jeans over a white shirt, brown finger cut gloves, white cowboy boots, her hair done in two braids, and her red-rimmed glasses over her dark eyes. It was the same outfit she wore the day he met at the café in San Francisco just before they boarded the ship.

The difference was that Julia seemed more confident when he first met her. This time, she seemed bothered.

"Hey," Ken said straightened himself up. "Is everything okay?"

Julia sighed a little. "I don't know… Ken, have you seen Ryu?"

Ken shook his head a little. "Not since last night."

"I thought that he had gone to train," Julia said. "But I don't know… he seems to be gone for quite a while…"

"Ryu can train for a long period of time," Ken mentioned. "And I would expect him to… since he hardly has anything to pack." He followed the last comment with a small laugh.

Julia smirked a little, somehow feeling a bit assured by Ken's answer. "Yeah… you may be right… I mean, I was hoping to talk to him before we departed for Earth… you know… after…"

"I see," Ken said. "Try not to worry about it. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Julia nodded. "He probably will. If you see him, let me know." With that, she turned on her heel and left the room, closing the curtain behind her on the way out.

Ken sighed a little. _Poor Julia… the last few days have been pretty tough on her…_ He then stretched himself out a bit before sitting back down on his bed. _Ryu… you better return soon so that the two of you can talk this out… though I have a feeling it may not be so easy…_

~~~

**Forest**

"Cammy! Cammy! Please wake up! Cammy!"

Cammy heard voices as she attempted to open her eyes. For a while, all she was able to see was complete blur. She also blinked a few times before she was able to see clearly. As she did, she continued to hear a male voice calling out for her.

 _Jin?_ she asked herself.

Soon, her eyes were open and she found herself look up at a person's face. After another second, she instantly recognized Wagner's face as he looked down at her with concern.

"Cammy! Are you okay?"

"…Huh?" Cammy mumbled as she looked at his surroundings. She was surprised to be surrounded by trees.

 _Why am I outside?_ she asked herself.

That's when she remembered… Cammy had been walking with Jin during the evening…from there, she couldn't remember anything else that happened.

Quickly, Cammy sat herself up. "Jin!" she cried out. She felt a headache rapidly come to her and she held her head in surprise. She blinked a couple of times after.

"Jin's not here," said Wolfman.

Cammy began to look around with confusion as Wagner and Lita helped her up. "I was with him… we were walking through here… I don't know what happened…"

"You have a nasty bump on the back of your head," mentioned Lita. "You were knocked out pretty good."

"Come to think of it," said Wagner. "I don't think I saw Jin all morning…"

Lita looked at Wolfman nervously. "I'm quite sure Jin wouldn't just leave her here…"

Wolfman nodded. "All these events are definitely not coincidence. First with Ginzu and Sonya dead, then with Li Mei and Alex being kidnapped, then finding Cammy out here, and now Jin is missing too."

Cammy gasped with horror. "Ginzu and Sonya are dead?!"

Wolfman sadly nodded. "We'll explain everything on the way back to the cave. We have to warn the others about this before anyone else gets hurt."

"Let's head out then," Wagner suggested.

From there, the four of them, with Wagner and Lita helping Cammy walk a bit, began to quickly head back to the cave

~~~

**Cave**

_There's… a dark feeling amongst this realm…_ Rose thought to herself as he looked over her crystal ball. _Much more than normal…_

This morning after cleaning up, Rose decided to look at her crystal ball since she hasn't done so in a while. She swore that ever since she sat down that the energy around her seemed dark and gloomy… a feeling that she never liked at all whenever she used her crystal ball.

 _Hopefully it is just from the environment,_ the soul psychic thought.

At that moment, the curtain to the lounge room opened and Raiden walked in. "Rose," he said. "…Something's not right."

Rose opened her eyes. "You have the dark feeling too, don't you?"

Raiden nodded. "I don't know what to think of it. Outworld was always a strange realm, but today seems… different."

Rose had an idea then. She brought up two hands, which were surrounded by purple aura. Soon, two cards appeared in either hand and she placed them down on the table. She and Raiden looked over at the cards… one card contained the Grim Reaper… the other contained a picture of broken buildings.

The psychic's eyes widened. "Death and destruction… I've feared this…"

"Something's going to happen," Raiden said. "We must gather our chosen ones inside and prepare ourselves for anything."

"Right," Rose agreed as she stood up.

She and Raiden left the lounge room, paced themselves through the cave, and stepped outside. The moment they did, they met up with Cammy, Wagner, Lita, and Wolfman.

"Raiden, Rose!" Wolfman called out. "Something is-"

He then stopped himself upon seeing the grim look on both of the leaders' faces. The wind seemed to suddenly pick up as the trees around them swayed more violently. Everyone happened to look up at the sky at that moment, just in time to see the purple sky of Outworld turn a blood red color.

"My God…" whispered Lita.

"It's just like in Nightwolf's vision," said Wagner.

Seconds later, they were able to hear a large group of footsteps in the distance.

Rose shivered upon hearing this. "We're too late…"

Raiden frowned. "It seems that Shao Kahn had his own plan all along…"


	67. Chapter Sixty-Six

**Palace Grounds**

All was quiet with the exception of the blowing winds as Yoshimitsu glanced around at his surroundings. He stood still where he was while holding his infamous katana in his left hand. A few minutes ago, the once-purple sky turned a crimson red. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of what sounded like a stampede.

 _Soon enough,_ Yoshimitsu thought. _The war shall begin…_

Yoshimitsu turned his head. Behind him stood many of the fighters who had participated in the tournament, all who were staying in the main palace.

When he realized what was about to come, Yoshimitsu made it his mission to gather and warn all of the fighters of the incoming invasion from Shao Kahn's forces. Over half of them didn't believe him at first (at least until the sky changed color). The others believed him for one reason… to try to find answers to what happened to their allies, who, during the tournament, went missing without a trace. Yoshimitsu had believed that everyone's lives were at stake and everyone was more than willing to fight back.

Now they all stood together as they awaited for the incoming stampede of warriors to attack.

Soon enough, the first line of their opponents arrived. They ran a few more feet before stopping completely after seeing their 'victims' well prepared and ready. Now only about two hundred yards of space stood between the two groups.

In Shao Kahn's group, all stared at each other briefly with a bit of confusion. They had all expected for the tournament participants to be completely unprepared. Obviously, someone had given them a tip ahead of time.

"How did they know of this?!" exclaimed Reptile as he drew out his Kirehashi sword.

"It doesn't matter," replied Mileena. "Whether they are prepared or not, we'll kill every last one of them!"

Meanwhile, Yoshimitsu raised his sword in the air with confidence. "Attack!" he shouted before he began running. The group immediately let out their battle cries and began running towards the Emperor's forces.

Baraka, with his blades long ready, immediately turned to his group. "Leave no one alive!" he demanded. Soon, he and his group began sprinting forward as well.

Battles cries were heard all around as both group ran towards each other. Time seemed to go slow as the large space between them grew smaller and smaller. Dust began to collect in the air from the ground as the two groups continued sprinting towards each other.

Soon, the space closed in and the two groups clashed, immediately beginning the bloodshed. The battle for superiority and survival began.

As the fight came to a start, no one was aware of the blue-armored figure on top of one of the hills, watching down on them. His eyes glowed the same color as the sky underneath his helmet aa his long tattered red cape swayed in the wind behind him. In his right hand was a very large sword which consisted of vein-like features and a single, realistic-looking eye which seemed to look down at the battle as well.

This was none other than the azure knight Nightmare.

For a while, he stayed silent as he continued to look down at the battle just down the hill he was standing on. For a moment, he thought that he should join in. With such power, it was practically a guarantee that he would dominate both sides, feasting upon their souls as they laid dying at his feet.

However, Nightmare had a more important agenda to attend to… an agenda that had brought him here in the first place.

 _Now,_ he thought. _To bring madness to the one who holds the window of Soul Edge…_

With that, Nightmare, slowly turned his back on the battle and began heading North…

~~~

**Cave**

It was within minutes that the chosen ones still remaining gathered within the cave after the Outworld sky changed it's color, knowing that a bad omen was coming. Some weren't aware of what was going on right away while others knew that something was about to happen long before.

Raiden and Rose stood side by side as they looked at their chosen ones. A frown appeared on both of their faces as they knew that they had multiple problems on their hands. It wasn't just about what was going down right now… it was also the fact that there were good reasons that not all of their chosen ones were here at this time…

Once all of their remaining chosen ones gathered, Raiden finally spoke. "I'm sure that many of your are trying to figure out what is going on at this moment. To be quite honest… I'm not sure. However, it would seem that a battle is taking place as we speak. We had tried our best to form our plan to take on any threat such as this… unfortunately, Shao Kahn has stayed many steps ahead of us."

Rose continued for him. "I wish I could have predicted this sooner… however, my psychic abilities seemed to have a block, possibly because of the environment here… I don't know how else to explain it better…"

"What about Nightwolf's visions?" asked Ken. "Wouldn't that have told us something from the beginning?"

"My visions state possible events that could occur," replied Nightwolf. "But they do not tell me when or where the event will take place. Unfortunately, the event is taking place now…"

"Let's not worry about what we could've done to prevent this," said Raiden. "It's out of our hands now to avoid this… now we have the responsibility to try to cease the actions of our enemies."

"And as you know," continued Rose. "We have some allies who are currently not with us… it is with deep sadness to tell you all that we've lost both Sonya Blade and George Ginzu this morning…"

All fell silent upon hearing this news. Raiden looked over at Rose for a moment and saw that she too was upset by the news as her eyes began to fill with tears. He decided to proceed for her…

"As soldiers who had put their lives on the line, they would want to move on and take care of our duty." The Thunder God took another deep breath before continuing. "Li Mei and Alex have gone missing as well and both Guile and Kenshi are searching for them as we speak. Guy has also gone missing and both Cody and Maki are searching for him as well."

In the group, Yang frowned upon hearing this. He had hoped that Maki would return soon after she departed with Cody earlier, but now with all the chaos, he wasn't sure when the two would unite again…

 _You better be okay right now…_ he thought.

"Ryu is also missing," mentioned Ken.

"And Jin too!" called out Cammy.

Rose looked over at Raiden with deep concern. The situation was much worse than she thought…

Raiden was silent for a moment before speaking. "With everything happening so suddenly… there is one option I can give to you all."

Everyone kept silent as they awaited for what the option was.

"…there is a shrine-like structure up on the first hill behind the main palace. It is hidden within the trees and they contain circled structures… each one of them are actually portals that will lead one to a certain realm… including your home worlds. This is a type of portal that can be activated by myself and the other Gods. I will go over there and activate it for you. This gives you all a choice… you could either make your escape back home, or fight Shao Kahn's forces."

"I'm definitely fighting," said Kilik.

"Same here," said Asuka.

The rest of the chosen ones nodded in agreement.

Rose managed to smirk. "We're very proud… but if you feel that you can't go on with the battle…get out of here. Your lives are worth more and we will need you for the fight we're sure will continue after today. Live today, fight tomorrow."

Raiden nodded. "Rose and I will be heading off now to open the portal. Good luck mortals… and may your hearts guide you."

With that, Raiden used his powers to transport himself and Rose to the portals to activate them. With a bolt of lightning, the two of them vanished, leaving their chosen ones on their own.

~~~

**Forest, Near The Palace Grounds**

Within the safety of the trees, Cody and Maki were able to see the large battle that was taking place not too far from them. For the past hour, they had been walking around the tournament grounds in hopes of finding their friend Guy, who hasn't been seen since last night.

A few minutes ago, the two were discussing whether or not to begin their search beyond the tournament grounds… however, at that moment, the sky had changed colors. The two were heading back to the cave grounds when they heard the sounds of fighting. They had gone to check it out and were now viewing the multiple fights that were taking place near the palace.

"Um… we're in trouble," said Cody.

"This is just what we needed!" cried out Maki in frustration. "What do you think we should do?"

Cody thought about this for a moment. As he tried to make a decision, he shifted his eyes between the battle nearby and the pathway that would lead them back to the cave.

"Thinking about it… at one point in the path back to the cave, we'll be in open space," Cody said as he began pacing a bit. "There could be a chance that someone from the opposing side would find us…"

"What if we take the opposite way back?" Maki suggested. "It is a longer way, but-"

"I think we should fight," Cody quickly cut in.

Maki's eyes widened in shock. "You're not going back to your old roots are you?"

Cody began to crack his knuckles, which were already covered with white tape. "I can feel that part of me boiling, no doubt… but there's two reasons we should fight. One, our allies are mostly likely in the fray right now. Second… there could be a chance that Guy will be there."

After thinking about this, Maki began to slowly nod as she drew out her two batons from her belt. "I'm not really into jumping into a fight without knowing what's going on… but if there is a chance that Guy is in the group, then I'm more than willing to join up."

"Good," Cody said with a smirk. "And don't worry, I'll cover your back. Let's head out."

With that, the two began running towards the battle. Just before she exited the forest, Maki briefly looked back behind her as thoughts of Yang came to her. She wondered whether he was still in the cave or whether he was now within the battle at this very minute. She frowned at this thought.

_Please be okay…_

~~~

**On One of the Hills…**

It was the sky's transformation and the sounds of fighting that finally drew the Cleric of Chaos Havik out of hiding. He had made his way up one of the many hills surrounding the tournament grounds and was able to get a glimpse of the two side clashing with one another.

Havik's eyes gleamed with delight upon seeing this sight.

"So this was Shao Kahn's plan all along," he said out loud to himself. "This is indeed utter chaos… I LOVE IT!"

For a little while longer, he continued to watch, feeling the happiest he's been ever since he was forced (something he hated more than anything) to go into hiding after Kira's betrayal… well, technically, he wasn't actually in hiding… he had spent the remainder of the tournament wandering the wastelands of Outworld, trying to make plans as to how to get the medallion in his hands.

However, the medallion didn't mean anything to him… the battle below was more worthwhile to him.

"Perhaps this will be a sort of a field day for me," he said.

But before he would join, he needed to return to the wastelands first… because he didn't have his mourning star weapon with him.

And there was one other thing he needed as well…

~~~

**Portals**

A bolt of lightning landed in front of a large group of circled structures. A moment later, two figures appeared, immediately turning their attention to the structures.

"These are the portals?" Rose asked.

Raiden nodded to the soul psychic. "Yes, these are the ones that will lead our chosen ones back to their home worlds."

Rose stared at the Thunder God after his statement. She had expected to immediately activate the portals, but he only stood there. "So what are you waiting for?" she asked after a few seconds.

The God of Thunder sighed to himself a little. "There's… a bit of a problem."

"Oh great, now you tell me!" Rose exclaimed.

Raiden exhaled a bit. "Once these portals are activated, a yellow beam will shoot up into the sky. Thousands of years ago, this beam would guide deities such as myself."

"As though it's pointing you in the right direction," Rose finished.

"Exactly," Raiden replied. "This is a good thing for our chosen ones…because the beam will serve as their guide home… however, it will be at the cost of Shao Kahn's forces noticing."

"I see," Rose said now understanding the 'problem.'

Another moment passed before Raiden raised his hands in front of him. Electricity surrounded his body before they shot out from his hands. Countless bolts shot out from different directions, each one hitting one of the circle structures, activating the different portals. Once they were all operating, a yellow beam shot out from a column located in the middle of the structure and made it's way into the blood red sky.

"Our chosen ones come from Earth, Keisei, and Edenia," Raiden proceeded. "Luckily for us, each realm is color coordinated… Earth is green, Edenia is light blue, and Keisei is silver."

"Good to know," Rose said. She briefly looked down the grounds near the palace. A frown appeared on her face upon seeing the bloodshed below.

Then a thought came to her… and with that thought, she turned to face Raiden, leaned forward, and kissed him. The kiss caught Raiden by surprise for a moment. He was just beginning to return the kiss when Rose slowly pulled away and looked up at him with her purple eyes.

"What was that for?" Raiden asked her.

Rose found herself smiling a little. "Just in case something happens to one of us."

Raiden smiled as well. "Good enough. Now, let's get to work… we have lives to save."

"Right," Rose agreed.

The two looked down the hill they stood on as they awaited for a mortal to run up a hill, whether ally or foe…

~~~

**Forest, Outside the Tournament Grounds**

_This is getting worse by the minute,_ Colonel Guile thought as he walked through a small pathway in the forest. A while ago, he noticed that the area he was in seemed darker than normal. For a moment, he thought that clouds took over the sky. However, upon looking up at it, he noticed that a crimson color replaced the previous purple color.

Guile sighed to himself. _I just hope the others are doing all right…_

It has only been a half hour since he and Kenshi began their journey to Shao Kahn's fortress after the sorcerer Shang Tsung had kidnapped both Li Mei and Alex for reasons unknown to them. Since they began walking, Kenshi had only told them that the walk would be about two hours… afterward, neither one of them spoke a word.

Some time passed when Kenshi suddenly stopped in his tracks. Guile had followed the swordsman just a couple of feet behind and he quickly halted as well. He watched as Kenshi slowly turned his head a bit as though he was trying to sense something.

"What's going on?" Guile asked him.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Kenshi replied quietly. "I thought I heard footsteps about a few yards away."

Guile kept silent as he tried to listen for footsteps as well. However, he wasn't able to hear anything. He decided to at least look around their surroundings. As he did, he suddenly noticed a yellow beam in the distance shooting up into the sky.

 _What in the world is that?_ the Colonel asked himself.

Then, to his surprise, Kenshi quickly drew out his sword from his scabbard and sliced something above him. Guile was confused by the gesture for a split second before he heard what sounded like cutting flesh. Guile was soon able to get a better look as a tarkatan, now split vertically in two, fell to the ground with it's own blood spewing all around.

"What the hell?!" Guile called out.

"He came from one of the trees," Kenshi told him as he held his bloody sword in front of him, ready for more attacks. "…there are more of them around us… including some behind you."

Guile quickly turned in the direction behind him, heeding the swordsman's words. His blue eyes widened as two tarkatans came hurling after him, their blades out of their arms and ready to taste blood.

" _Sonic Boom!_ _"_ the Colonel yelled out as he briefly pulled his strong arms back before bringing them forward. A yellow, boomerang-like projectile shot out and flew towards the Tarkatans before hitting them, knocking the two creatures back.

By then, more tarkatans surrounded the two men.

"Let's get this over with," Guile said under his breath.

Soon, the tarkatans closed in on them and began their onslaught. Guile found himself mostly dodging the sharp blades that seemed to attempt to attack him from every direction. During that time, he managed to get a few hits in, mainly with some low punches and sweep kicks, knocking the tarkatans either to the ground or away from him to give himself enough room to fight more. Soon, he was able to perform a somersault shell, flipping backwards into the air and kicking a tarkatan just under the chin, sending it flying in the air before crashing into the dirt.

Meanwhile, metal clashed with metal as Kenshi fought the tarkatans with his sword. For a while, the combined strength of three tarkatans nearly caught him off guard. Eventually, he was able to decapitate one tarkatan before performing a back kick to knock away another one of the mutants. He then used his telekinetic powers to send the other crashing into a tree with enough force to render him unconscious.

At that point, another tarkatan jumped in the air, his blades out and ready to slice from behind the swordsman. Kenshi was just beginning to sense his opponent's approach when an energy force suddenly surrounded the tarkatan, stopping it in midair. The mutant was confused for a moment before he began to scream in agony as he body was crushed into a bloody pulp, his own blood spray all over before his crushed form was released from the energy and fell to the ground.

For a moment, Kenshi was confused and wondered where the energy came from. That was, until he sensed a being he had not heard from since the fourth round of the tournament.

"It's been a while," the swordsman said to the figure as they appeared from behind the trees.

Meanwhile, Guile managed to punch a tarkatan out cold when he began to notice the others running off. Confusion fell over his face for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. That was until he heard one of the tarkatans yell out, "It's the Enigma! Retreat!"

"What the…" Guile mumbled. _What are they talking about?_

He soon found his answer as he turned his head back to Kenshi. Near him, a figure dressed in a black and red-orange floated himself to the ground, surrounded by a green aura. Guile slowly approached the group, now completely rendered with confusion.

"Yes, it has been quite sometime," the mysterious man said to Kenshi. "We assume much has happened since our last meeting."

Guile looked over at the swordsman. "Who is this?" he asked.

The figure turned his head to Guile. "We are not an enemy if that is what you think."

"Not at all," Guile said. "But I'd like to know who you are and how you and Kenshi know each other."

The stranger nodded. "We are Ermac. Only a few weeks ago, we were associated with Shao Kahn…" From there, Ermac told the Colonel of his enigmatic form, his reasons for changing sides, and his alliance with Kenshi. It was a lot to digest for Guile, but it had at least erased the confusion he had moments ago.

"Do you what's going on right now?" the Colonel asked.

"Shao Kahn has launched an onslaught against the surviving tournament participants," Ermac explained. "He had a plan since the beginning and only today did he reveal exactly what it was… we had spoken with one of the guards in secret and, after some 'convincing,' he revealed that the Emperor planned to recruit the remaining fighters into his army by force… either physically, or by taking their souls. We believe that his reasons for doing this is because he plans to invade all the realms in the universe once again…"

"So this was the purpose of the tournament all along," said Kenshi. "And _Chishio No Me's_ powers seem to boost their purpose."

"Exactly," Ermac replied. "Shao Kahn had wanted the best fighters that exist for his own purpose. _Chishio No Me_ served as not only the key to their plan, but also a ploy to lure the fighters into the tournament. As a matter of fact, the real medallion was never meant to be given away to the winner… but lucky for them, one of their own managed to win the tournament…"

"So Ivy was associated with Shao Kahn after all..." asked Guile.

Ermac nodded. "Now a battle is taking place at the palace grounds. The yellow beam in the distance is the signal of multiple operating portals that will lead you back home."

"That's not what we plan to do at the moment," Guile said. "As a matter of fact, we may actually need your help."

Kenshi continued for him. "Shang Tsung took Alex and Li Mei. We're heading to Shao Kahn's fortress and we're not leaving Outworld until they're safe."

"You will definitely need our help," Ermac said. "Did Shang Tsung act alone?"

"We believe so," replied Guile. "It happened about a half hour ago."

"Then Alex and Li Mei will not be at the Emperor's fortress. Shang Tsung has his own palace about a half hour to the Northeast of the fortress. They'll most likely be there…" From there, Ermac began walking and both Kenshi and Guile followed.

"So what happened to you?" Kenshi asked after a few minutes of silence.

"We've been in hiding after our last meeting," Ermac began. "Shao Kahn had discovered our betrayal. For a while, we were hiding out with a former prisoner named Paul Phoenix… at least until we were attacked by the Fighting God Ogre. We don't know what happened to Paul-"

"He was found by one of our allies," Guile said. "We took him in and he stayed with us since."

"We are glad to hear that," Ermac nodded. "During the fight, Ogre had knocked us off a cliff. We used our own telekinesis to slow our fall. We believe that the Emperor and his forces presumed us dead…at least until now, but it no longer matters. During our time in hiding, we spent a majority of time meditating. We were preparing to return to the grounds after the tournament ended. During that time, about a mile away from Shang Tsung's palace, we found a portal that seemed to be abandoned for quite some time… it's still in activation…and judging by it's green color, it leads to Earth."

"That's reassuring," Guile said with a nod.

"What do you think Shang Tsung plans to do with Alex and Li Mei?" Kenshi asked suddenly.

Ermac was silent for a moment before answering. "We're not sure," he replied.

It was a lie. The truth was, if Ermac's hunch was correct, the sorcerer had planned to add the two women to his harem. Why else would the sorcerer kidnap them and bring them to his palace? His reason for not saying anything was because he needed the two of them to focus on their rescue mission rather than worry about what could happen if they were too late…

They still had time to rescue the two women… Ermac just hoped that nothing else gets in their way…

~~~

**Near the Battle**

Slowly, the chosen ones left the cave grounds as they walked towards the battle nearby. Some of them looked back at the cave grounds as fond memories of their days there passed their minds. Some believed that this was possibly the last time they would ever see the sight.

Eventually, they were yards away from the battle. Nightwolf stood in front of everyone, his two tomahawks ready in each of his hands. He looked around for a while as he began to realize the familiarity of this event…

This was the exact thing he had envisioned for the past few weeks…

 _The time has come for this battle,_ he thought to himself.

Nightwolf turned to the chosen ones. All of them had determination on their faces as they were all ready to fight against whatever plans Shao Kahn was planning.

"Fight for as long as you can!" Nightwolf called out to them. "And if you feel that you can no longer go on… make your escape. Do not feel guilty of that decision. Live today, fight tomorrow!"

The shaman's words gave confidence to the chosen ones. He then turned his head towards the bloodshed and pointed one of his tomahawks forward. "It's time!"

Nightwolf then began to head towards the battle with the chosen ones following him. Now there was no going back…they would fight with all they had until they could no longer fight.

Now, the combat has truly begun…


	68. Chapter Sixty-Seven

**Near The Palace Grounds**

It was the change in the air and the color change of the sky that brought Noob Saibot and Sektor out of their current hiding place. They had been hiding in yet another cave about a half hour from the tournament grounds.

Once they stepped outside, they were able to hear what sounded like a war, the faint sounds of screams, cries, and clashing metal reaching their hearing. Sektor used his hearing sensors to detect the location of the battle and Noob followed.

After some time, the two walked over a tall hill. They were soon on the top and found themselves looking down at a large battle that was taking place near the main palace.

Noob narrowed his glowing blue eyes at the battle. "I am not surprised that this is taking place," he said out loud. "I suspect Shao Kahn himself is behind this."

"Affirmative," Sektor replied. "Shall we initiate our own attack?"

Noob nodded. "This is the perfect opportunity to recruit another for our plans… and if Sub-Zero and his allies happen to be down there as well, this may give us another chance to eliminate them once and for all."

Sektor nodded. "Then let's engage."

With that, the two of them began heading down the hill and towards the fight below.

~~~

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

For a while, darkness surrounded Li Mei. She wasn't sure exactly how long it was before she finally began to open her eyes. The young woman saw nothing but blur, but after opening her eyes more and blinking a few times, the view in front of her became more clear.

Once her vision was clear, Li Mei was able to make out what looked like a ceiling. A couple of lit lanterns hung above her just off to the side.

 _Where am I?_ she asked herself as she tried to figure out what happened before losing consciousness.

Li Mei then attempted to sit herself up. However, she was surprised when she realized that something was holding her arms and legs back. "What?!" she cried out as she looked over at her left arm. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that it was chained down.

At that point, she realized that she was on a bed.

She whirled her head in the other direction and saw that her right arm was also chained down. The young woman then looked at her legs and saw that ankles were chained down as well.

That's when Li Mei heard the door slowly swing open. She turned her head in the direction of the sound. Aside from the lit lanterns, the room was mostly dark so she wasn't able to see who came in just yet.

Soon, the figure showed up in Li Mei's view… and her green eyes widened more upon seeing the sorcerer Shang Tsung!

Now she was remembering how she got here to begin with…

"I'm pleased to see that you're finally awake," Shang Tsung said as a sadistic smirk appeared on his face. "I hope that you are resting comfortably."

Li Mei narrowed her eyes at him. "Where's Alex?!" she demanded.

"There's no need to worry about your friend," Shang Tsung answered. "She too is resting comfortably in her own room."

"My friends will find us!" Li Mei called out with confidence. "And when they do, they'll kick your ass."

The sorcerer sneered in reply. "I'm afraid that won't be happening my dear. You see… Shao Kahn has already sent his warriors to… take care of them. Their souls will soon belong to him."

Shang Tsung's grin grew wider as a thought came to him. "While we're on the subject of 'lost friends,' I guess it'll be a good time to tell you something."

Li Mei looked up at the sorcerer in silence. With his grin, she could've sworn that she was now looking straight at the devil himself as the grin reflected his yellowish eyes.

"First off… I want to send my 'sympathy.' It must've been quite unfortunate for the Sun Do villagers to lose their lives the way they did… quite unfortunate indeed."

Li Mei felt confused for a moment as to why he even mentioned the Sun Do massacre... then it hit her…

"You orchestrated their deaths, didn't you?!" Li Mei yelled. "It was YOU who killed my people!"

"It gets better my dear," Shang Tsung said. He then shape shifted into a young woman with long black hair and wearing a dark brown cloak. Her eyes then glowed a green color. Li Mei instantly recognized her…

It was the same woman who had killed Ibuki many days ago…

Then quickly, Shang Tsung switched back into his normal form. "Ibuki's soul isn't as strong as the many others I possess… but it is useful."

At this point, Li Mei was lost for words. First she found out that Shang Tsung was responsibility for the massacre of her people… now she just found out that Ibuki's death was at his hands as well.

"I saw you that day, Li Mei," Shang Tsung said. "I had been out looking for a soul to devour when I saw the two of you walking through the woods with your little baskets. You two had separated just as I had hoped. I thought of going after you, but at this point, the Sun Do massacre hadn't occurred yet and I wanted you to stay alive long enough to see the corpses of your loved ones… that's why I went after Ibuki instead…"

Shang Tsung then turned his back towards Li Mei and began walking out of the room. As he disappeared into the darkness, he spoke one last time to her…

"Don't not worry about your pain," he said. "I promise… by the end of the night… you will be a different woman…"

With that, he walked through the opened door and slowly closed it behind him. As soon as the _click_ was heard, Li Mei turned her head a bit, letting the uncontrollable tears fall down her face…

~~~

**Near the Palace Grounds**

After receiving a kick in the back, Kilik found himself stumbling a few feet before stopping himself. Quickly, he turned around and saw a guard with a Kwan Do in hand running towards him. The guard then swung his weapon at Kilik, who quickly blocked the maneuver with his staff.

The two exchanged hits for a minute before Kilik managed to jab the end of his staff at the guard's stomach, causing the wind to be knocked out of him. Then Kilik spun his staff to knock the guard a couple of yards away. Once the guard landed, he was surprised to see a ninja in all-black take a kunai and stab the guard in the chest, killing him.

… _That takes care of him I guess,_ the young man thought.

Kilik then happened to turn his head in time to see his friend Maxi get knocked down to the ground. Maxi clenched his teeth in what seemed like pain as he held on to his left arm, which had recently received a bad cut. The guard Maxi was fighting approached him with his sword in hand. Kilik then realized what the guard was about to do…

Quickly, the young Keisei native ran over to the guard. He then jumped up and delivered a flying kick at the guard, sending him flying back a few yards away, soon becoming lost in the crowd of combatants.

Maxi looked up at his ally. "Thanks pal," he said.

"My pleasure," Kilik replied as he reached for Maxi's stretched out hand and pulled him back up on his feet. "You're still weary from last night's fall. Get yourself out of here while you still can!"

"Not yet," Maxi retaliated. "Where's Xianghua?"

That's when a screaming guard flew passed the space between them. The two of them watched him fly away from a moment before turning in the direction he came from. Their eyes widened in surprise as they saw Xianghua just a few feet away from them.

"Serves you right!" she called out, sounding pissed. A second later, their other friend Mi-na flew towards Xianghua from her right and crashed right into her, knocking her down to the ground, the both of them letting out a surprised-like cry.

Kilik and Maxi ran over to the two girls to see if they were all right. Mi-na was already getting herself up, looking frustrated.

"Damn it!" she cried out. "I'll kill that guard for that! And the worst part is that I lost track of Hwang just a minute ago!"

"Don't worry," said Xianghua as she began to get herself up. "He's a good fighter, I'm sure he's fine."

"He better be," Mi-na said with a slight growl.

Once he knew that the girls were okay, Kilik looked up at Maxi. "Get out of here… don't worry about us. We'll try to leave Outworld as soon as possible."

Maxi sighed a bit. He didn't want to leave his friends, but he knew that he was still weary from his fight with Astaroth last night.

"I owe you one," Maxi said to him, acknowledging the fact that Kilik had saved his rear a moment ago. He then began to make his way towards the activated portals, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time that he saw his friends…

On the other side of the battle, Vega was having the time of his life. He fought his enemies left and right, killing them after only a few seconds. Behind his porcelain mask, he was grinning with pleasure. He only wished that he could take a moment to taste the blood that his collected on his three claws.

 _I could do this all day,_ he thought to himself.

After killing yet another enemy, he happened to turn his head in time to see Sagat fighting an opponent who was just about Vega's height. Wanting to receive more glory for the hell of it, the matador rolled himself forward towards Sagat's opponent.

When he was close enough, he stretched himself out, extending his arm which had the claws on it, and managed to stab the man's neck with two of the three long metal claws. The man stood there in shock for a moment as he began to choke on his own blood. Then, he fell forward into the ground, his body briefly going into convulsions before finally staying still.

Sagat sighed to himself once he realized who was behind his opponent's death. He looked over at Vega and the two of them stared at each other for a moment. As they did, Sagat noted that Vega's blue eyes seemed colder than ever.

Obviously, he was enjoying the killing spree very much.

"Are you having fun, amigo?" Vega asked him.

Sagat narrowed his single eye a little. "I've had better."

At that moment, Sagat was attacked by a smaller man, forcing him to fight back. Vega leapt away, intending on continuing with the bloodshed.

For a while, Sagat and the unknown fight exchanged attacks. It didn't take long before Sagat had the upper hand and he continuously beat the man down with his various Muay Thai kicks. Soon, the man found himself dizzy and it gave Sagat the chance to perform one of his deadly moves.

' _Tiger Genocide!_ _'_ he called out as he leapt forward with his left knee up. He managed to hit his opponent upward before performing two uppercuts in midair. Afterwards, Sagat landed back on the ground safely and waited for his opponent to crash back to the ground.

Soon, a figure did crash down…but it wasn't the man Sagat was fighting just a few seconds ago. Instead, it was a young girl… a girl who looked no older than twenty years old…

Sagat looked around quickly and soon found his previous opponent just a couple of yards away. Obviously, he had jumped away just before receiving the blow and the girl, who had been fighting her own battle, happened to be right behind him. He waved at him with cockiness, obviously proud that it wasn't him who received the bad end of Sagat's attack… well, at least until Sagat saw a sword stab him through his back and out his chest, killing him almost instantly.

The Muay Thai fighter decided to take a moment to check on the girl to see if she was okay, especially since he never had any intention of hurting her. When he reached her, he bent himself down to her and immediately checked for her vital signs…

There was none…

A grim look appeared on Sagat's face. Time seemed to sudden slow as thoughts raced through his mind.

 _What have I done…_ he thought to himself.

He knew what got him to Outworld in the first place… his own selfish ambitions… and it all began when he lost to Ryu in that tournament all those years ago. He had been so desperate to redeem his own honor that he joined Shadaloo as they promised him that he would have a rematch with him. Instead, he became nothing more than a lackey to them.

Now here he was in Outworld with Vega… and for what? A powerful, ancient artifact that would just boost their inflated egos even more?

His head had been in a cloud this whole time… and because of this, the young girl at his feet was now dead…

Straightening himself up, Sagat looked over at the yellow beam that was shooting up into the red sky. He was already told that it was the signal. There were portals in that area which would lead everyone back to their respective realms.

Sagat briefly looked over at the battle. Serving Shao Kahn was nearly similar to serving Shadaloo's leader Bison… he was given a promise that was never fulfilled and he was nothing more than another lackey for another's ambitions.

 _I've had enough,_ the Muay Thai fighter thought bitterly. _It all ends here…_

While his supposed 'allies' fought against their 'enemies,' Sagat began taking his leave, intending on returning to Earth…

~~~

**Outworld Docks, A Mile From The Palace Grounds**

Heihachi Mishima's eyes snapped open as he laid on his back against the small wooden boardwalk. In the distance, he was able to hear what sounded like a war. He blinked a couple of times as he suddenly noticed the sky.

"What the-" he muttered as he sat himself up. He looked at his surroundings, remembering how he got here to begin with… early this morning, he decided to come here, the area where the ships that took the tournament participants had dropped them off after leaving their respective realms.

Heihachi had previously arrived in Outworld through his own portal at the Mishima Zaibatsu. The portal took him to any realm he wished… however, the downside was that he wasn't able to develop a way to return to Earth.

So that he got the best cabin, Heihachi arrived here bright and early… when the sky was originally purple.

Since then, he had fallen asleep and when he woke up, he thought he was dreaming for just a moment.

Once again, Heihachi listened in on the battle cries nearby. It could be anything…a large battle, a riot, or even some sort of celebration… that he scratched off from his mind as he realized that the cries seemed more desperate than happy.

For a moment, Heihachi wondered whether or not to check it out. For one thing, he didn't want to leave his spot as the first in line to leave Outworld.

As he tried to figure this out, a voice suddenly spoke from behind. "Don't even wait… those ships are never going to arrive."

Heihachi raised an eyebrow as he realized that the voice was eerily familiar. He slowly turned his head and soon came face to face with the last person he expected to see, his eyes widened in surprise upon recognizing his son, Kazuya.

After regaining his composure, Heihachi narrowed his eyes. "Why aren't you dead!?" he demanded.

Kazuya smirked, amused by his father's reaction. "Because you can't kill a man twice."

Heihachi realized that it was a twist on the old saying… Kazuya had died once many years ago and he tried to kill him again not too long ago… now here he was, well and alive… again.

"Do not worry about that grandson of yours either," Kazuya continued. "He's… out of the way."

The older man wasn't phased by those words. "How did you get here?"

"Your Mishima portal of course," Kazuya replied proudly. "I've been watching you ever since I got here three weeks after the tournament began."

A thought came to Heihachi then… a while ago when a tarkatan attacked him at the palace, a knife had flown from nowhere, killing the mutant. Heihachi was never able to figure out who was behind the knife… at least until now.

"I see…" Heihachi said as he stood himself on his feet.

Kazuya narrowed his eyes then, his left eye glowing in a blood red color. "You know my intentions… to eliminate you once and for all… and it's best to get it down now. You hear those cries in the distance? A battle is taking place between two sides. What the reason for it is none of my concern…" the younger man then got himself into a fighting stance.

"Very well then," Heihachi nodded as he got into his own stance. "You say that I can't kill a man twice… but third time's a charm…"

Immediately, Kazuya jumped forward, intending on attacking his father. Heihachi jumped after him as well. Soon, the two reached each other and delivered their attacks at one another.

They had begun their own combat…

~~~

**Near the Palace Grounds**

As the large battle between two sides continued, three guards attempted to gang up on Nightwolf. Quickly, he used his inner chi to create a green aura in shape of a bow and arrow. He aimed at the closest guard before releasing the arrow from his hand, the sharp object flying forward before plunging itself into the guard's chest, the force knocking him back a few yards.

Nightwolf then turned his attention to another guard, who had just thrown a knife towards him. The shaman surrounded his body with a green aura and before the knife could hit him, the energy reflected it off and began heading back to the guard, eventually plunging through his forehead, instantly killing him.

After the green aura disappeared, Nightwolf then raised his hand up and a bolt of lightning hit the third guard, knocking him away.

Not too far from him, Reptile happened to witness the three guards being taken down by Nightwolf. Noting that he was indeed a powerful warrior, Reptile decided to take the opportunity to try to take him down himself. He quickly leaned his head forward and spat out a gob of green acid.

Lucky for Nightwolf, he saw the acid heading straight at him in time and dodged out of the way. The acid ended up hitting yet another guard who happened to be running by. Upon being hit, the guard screamed in terror and agony as his skin burnt off his bones before falling to the ground dead.

"Damn it!" Reptile yelled out, realizing that he accidentally killed one of his own.

Nightwolf turned his attention to Reptile. His body once again was surrounded by the green aura and, with his shoulder out, glided towards Reptile in fast speed before ramming him back. Reptile managed to catch himself by rolling back before getting back on his feet.

The two ran towards each other and engaged in combat. They exchanged some punches and kicks for a few seconds before Reptile attempted to crouch himself down and perform a forward roll in an attempt to trip his opponent. However, Nightwolf managed to jump over him in time. They then straightened themselves out, turned around to face each other, and began fighting once again.

At point, Nightwolf managed to get the upper hand. Once he did, he kicked his leg up, smacking Reptile under his chin, then kicked down again, hitting the top of the lizard's head. The shaman then followed it with a back kick, causing Reptile to stagger back a few feet.

After regain his composure, Reptile covered the distance between the two and continued fighting. The two were once again even for a minute until Reptile gained the upper hand by throwing three punches at Nightwolf's face. He then followed it with an elbow jab before performing a kick, knocking Nightwolf back.

 _Time to end thissss,_ Reptile thought as he slowly took out his Kirehashi sword.

Nightwolf slowly got himself back on his feet. He then began turning around to face Reptile… but was instead met with a sword, which quickly plunged itself through his stomach.

Reptile watched Nightwolf's surprised reaction with satisfaction. He kept the sword in his stomach for a moment before quickly pulling it out. Once released from the sword, Nightwolf fell back into the ground.

Just a few feet away, Dan was fighting a guard when he happened to witness Nightwolf being stabbed by Reptile. Quickly, he knocked the guard back before he ran over to his mentor to check on him.

"Nightwolf!" Dan called out just before bending down next to him. The shaman was still awake, but his short breaths indicated that death wasn't too far from him…

Nightwolf looked up at his pupil as he slightly began to cough up some blood. "Do not… forget my… teachings to you… use them… wisely… as you… journey through… your life…"

Dan frowned, realizing that his mentor was accepting his own demise.

"I will… thank you for everything," Dan said to him.

Nightwolf nodded a little. "There is… something you need… to know… I fear that… something will… happen after… this battle… is over… leave Outworld… while you can…"

Dan was about to say something, but stopped once Nightwolf closed his eyes and ended up letting out what would be his last exhale…

Dan looked down at him for a moment as the battle continued around them. A grim look appeared on his face as he stood himself up. Nightwolf had taught him a lot since they arrived here in Outworld. Now he was gone… and now Dan had the responsibility to carry his teachings…

"I hope you don't mind," Dan began to say. "But I'm going to fight a little longer…"

With that, the pink-clad man turned around and returned to the fight…

~~~

**Portals**

The first batch of fighters arrived at the portals. Raiden and Rose let those on their side pass them while fighting off Shao Kahn's forces, rendering them all unconscious.

At this point, not many had approached the portals. A thought came to Rose and she turned to Raiden. "I wonder how long it will take before things start to get really crowded."

"Bet it won't be long," Raiden replied. "Continue keeping a lookout."

Rose nodded and proceeded to look around the area for more allies or of Shao Kahn's forces. Some time passed before a very tall figure emerged from the trees. Rose kept a watch on him, wondering who was coming.

Once he was in completely view, Rose was very surprised to see Sagat approaching the portals. She hasn't seen him since the last Street Fighter tournament…

 _What is he doing here?!_ she thought to himself.

Sagat soon noticed Rose and the two found themselves staring at each other for a moment. Rose took the moment to try to sense what he was feeling…and was quite surprised to learn that there was some good within him.

 _Perhaps he's trying to redeem himself from his old ways…_ she thought.

Rose took a deep breath. "The green portal at the end will lead you back to Earth."

Sagat only replied with a single nod before heading to the portal. Once he reached it, he stepped through it, disappearing from Outworld.

"I have an idea," Raiden suddenly said afterward. "Why don't you go down to the bottom of the hill and keep a lookout. That way, it'll be easier to keep a lookout."

Rose wasn't into the idea, but she would do anything up to this point to make sure everything goes smoothly.

"Be careful," she told the Thunder God before making her way down the hill.

~~~

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

The tears had long stopped as two guards entered Li Mei's room. She let them release her from the chains' hold. After getting out of the bed, the two guards began to escort her out of the room and began walking down the hallway.

"Where am I going?" Li Mei asked the guards after a few minutes.

"You stay quiet," the guard on her right said. "You'll know soon enough."

Li Mei stayed quiet as she continued walking down the hall. As they turned a corner and began walking down yet another hallway, Li Mei realized that no one else was in sight but the three of them…

Now was her chance…

Quickly, she used one foot to slam it against one guard's shin with enough force to pull back in pain. This made the other guard pull back by surprise, letting Li Mei go from his grip. The young woman rapidly performed a forward flip kick, knocking him a few feet before she began flying forward and attacked with multiple punches. The last punch sent the guard flying into the wall, rendering him unconscious.

The second guard had already drawn out his own sword. In retaliation, Li Mei extended both of her arms out in front of her. Two purple energies shot out, one from each hand, and they managed to hit the guard, the force pushing him back and knocking him out cold as well.

Now that the two guards were out of the way, Li Mei had an objective… find Alex and get out of here. Not knowing where else to start, she began heading back in the direction she came from, hoping that there would be another room her friend was being held in.

For a while, Li Mei ran around the palace. A few times, she was forced to hide herself from guards who ended up walking by in her direction. Once they were out of view, she emerged from her hiding place and continued with her search.

Eventually, Li Mei found herself going down a long hall with no place to hide. She was beginning to feel the adrenaline rush through her, realizing that there could be a chance that a guard could turn a corner and catch her.

After what seemed like forever, Li Mei finally reached the turn. Just as she was going around it, she suddenly bumped into someone, letting out a scream in both surprise and horror.

"Whoa, Li Mei!" a voice said, sounding surprised as well. "It's us."

Li Mei pulled herself back. Extreme relief rushed over her as she recognized Guile. Behind him were Kenshi and a man dressed in black and red-orange whom she didn't recognize.

"Oh thank goodness!" she said in relief. "I knew someone in the cave would come, but I was beginning to lose hope…"

"Well, we're here now," Guile assured her.

"Where's Alex?" Kenshi asked her.

"I don't know," Li Mei replied. "I was looking for her after I escaped. The only thing I know is that she's definitely still alive."

Ermac stepped in at that point. "The best thing to do is to get you out of here," he suggested.

"I'll get her out," Guile said.

"I'm not leaving!" Li Mei retaliated.

The three men turned their heads to the young woman. "It's for the best Li Mei," Guile said. "Kenshi and Ermac will continue looking for Alex-"

"I know they will," Li Mei said. "But Shang Tsung needs to be killed once and for all! He killed my people and he killed Ibuki!"

The men were silent for a moment upon learning this. Eventually, Kenshi spoke. "Shang Tsung has affected countless lives throughout his lifetime, I'm sure of that."

"We'll see to it that the sorcerer is eliminated," Ermac promised.

A frown appeared on Li Mei's face. Although she wanted to help in finding Alex and kill Shang Tsung, she realized that it may be best to get out of here while she had a chance. Besides, she was beginning to have fate in Kenshi and Ermac that they would take care of things.

"If anything," she began to say. "Please rescue Alex. I don't want to lose another friend."

The two men nodded to her as Guile tugged on Li Mei's arm. "Let's head out," he suggested. He then looked over at his other allies. "Good luck."

Li Mei stared at the swordsman and the enigma for a moment before she reluctantly followed Guile to the pathway out of the palace…

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Sitting at his throne, a small smirk appeared on Shao Kahn's face. Moments ago, a Shadow Priest sent him a message written in a scroll which he was currently holding in his hand. In it, it tells him the current process of the onslaught…

So far, they haven't lost anyone significant in his army. Also, nearly a quarter of their enemies have been slain, making the Emperor the owner of their souls.

Upon realizing this, Shao Kahn's smirk slowly changed into a grin underneath his helmet. So far, the battle was going exactly as he planned it…


	69. Chapter Sixty-Eight

**Near The Palace Grounds…**

Not too long ago, Heihachi Mishima had been relaxing at the Outworld docks while awaiting for his transportation back home. He had expected to be doing so for most of the day. Instead however, he now found himself in an intense match up against his own son, Kazuya Mishima.

The two fought for some time before stopping for a moment. They stood only a few feet away from each other as they stared down at one another. As they waited for the other to attack, the Mishima's were able to hear the large battle in the background, which was taking place less than a mile away from them.

Kazuya narrowed his eyes at his father, the redness in his left eye glowing a bit, indicating his Devil gene. Then, a half smirk came over his face. "What's the matter old man? Are you getting tired already?"

Heihachi sneered a little. "Not quite. I'm just getting warmed up!" Immediately after saying that, the older man jumped forward and attempted a flying kick in which Kazuya immediately moved out of the way from.

As Heihachi began to pass him, Kazuya lifted up his leg and performed a spin kick, hitting Heihachi in the back and sent him flying forward. However, Heihachi managed to catch himself and somersaulted forward once on the ground. Afterward, he got himself back on his feet.

Upon turning back around, Kazuya was already running towards him, ready to deliver more attacks. As soon as he jabbed his fist forward, Heihachi immediately blocked it with his arm. The older man then lifted his foot to perform a forward kick which Kazuya quickly backed away from. Then the younger man pulled his arm back before jabbing it rapidly at Heihachi, his arm surrounded by red electricity. Heihachi just barely managed to move his head away before receiving the impact.

From there, Heihachi attempted a karate chop at Kazuya's face, but the younger man managed to back away again. This gave him enough room to jump forward and attempt to perform a scissor kick. However, Heihachi saw this coming and managed to grab Kazuya's foot before flipping him, causing Kazuya to land hard on his side.

After the crash landing, Kazuya attempted to get himself back up on his feet. However, his father managed to get behind him and wrap his arms around his neck, forcing him in a lock hold. The younger fighter now found himself struggling against the older man's grip.

"You should be lucky that you haven't been killed up to this point," Heihachi said to him.

At this point, Kazuya attempted to regain some momentum in his system. "You won't be so lucky when I kill you. And when I do take your life, you'll find yourself begging for mercy!"

Kazuya finally managed to grab Heihachi and, using all of his strength, managed to flip him over his shoulder, sending Heihachi crashing into the ground. Kazuya stood himself up and attempted to stomp his foot down on the older man's stomach.

Just before he could, Heihachi grabbed Kazuya's foot again and pushed him back. Kazuya nearly lost his balance, but managed to regain himself. This distraction gave Heihachi the chance to get himself back up again.

From there, the father and son charged at one another again to continue their battle…

~~~

**Nearby…**

"Damn it!" cried out a relieved Cassandra as she barely took down a guard with her sword.

The young woman wasn't able to even guess how long she had been fighting as she found herself a bit out of breath. It was a while ago that she had ended up separating from her friends during the fray.

Cassandra frowned to herself a bit upon thinking of this. _I really hope they're okay…_ she thought.

Just before she could step forward, another guard managed to grab her from behind, forcing her to let out a short shriek in surprise. Out of impulse, she used her shield to bash the guard on the side of his head. The blow was hard enough to render him out cold.

At that point, another guard charged after her with his own sword out. Cassandra stood in her place, ready to fight. Soon, he reached her and the two briefly engaged in a sword duel, their swords colliding with one another.

After what felt like a minute, Cassandra went to lift her foot up to kick the guard away. However, he managed to use his free hand to grab on to her ankle. Before Cassandra was able to react, the guard managed to spin himself in a full circle, taking her with him before releasing her. Cassandra let out a scream as she found herself flying passed the fighters around her. Eventually, she found herself crashing into another person and the both of them ended up crashing into a tree before landing on the ground.

"Owe…" Cassandra yelped after the impact. She then felt the person she crashed into and she suddenly found herself holding her breath.

 _I really hope that's someone on my side…_ she hoped.

Cassandra then looked up and let out a sigh of relief upon recognizing Paul Phoenix. He seemed dazed for a moment after the impact, but he seemed okay as he shook it off.

Paul looked over at Cassandra. "Where did you come from?" he asked for the hell of it.

The young woman began to get herself up. "Well I was-" she began to say. She was suddenly cut off as she tried to stand on her right foot and quickly felt a sharp pain hit her, causing her to collapse back to the ground.

"Ah! My ankle!" she found herself crying out. She didn't understand how she ended up with an injured ankle, but she ended up guessing that it was sometime between the time the guard had grabbed her ankle and the moment she fell back to the ground.

Without saying anything, Paul bent down to her and briefly examined her ankle. Upon touching it, Cassandra found herself wincing in a bit of pain. "Owe that hurts," she hissed.

"It doesn't feel broken," Paul said to her, ignoring her last words. "Most likely it's sprained."

Briefly, the Judo fighter found himself looking over at the battle in front of him. He still had a lot of fight in him and he was willing to continue with helping out. However, with one of the chosen ones injured, he felt that he should at least help her get to the portals.

"Come on," he said to her. "I'm taking you to the portals."

Cassandra looked up at him in shock. "I'm not leaving yet! Not until this is over."

Ignoring her protests, Paul lifted her from the ground before throwing her over his shoulder. "First off, I don't think you'd be able to keep fighting with that ankle. Second, with that injury, there's a likely chance that you'll be dead when it's all over… so take this chance while you can."

Also ignoring him, Cassandra attempted to protest, wanting to be left behind. However, once Paul started walking, Cassandra ended up giving up. The only reason she wanted to stay to begin with was because she wanted to leave Outworld knowing that her friends would be okay.

She eventually realized that if they were with her now, they would had encourage her to leave in her condition…

~~~

**Not Too Far…**

" _Dankukyaku!_ " Dan Hibiki yelled out as he performed a flying kick, knocking down a guard to the ground.

Upon landing back on his feet, two guards attempted to gang up on him, coming from either side of him. However, Dan managed to step out of the way, causing the two guards to smash into each other. Before sliding to the ground, the pink-clad man kicked the two away with a double jump kick.

Ever since Nightwolf's death not too long ago, Dan felt more adrenaline within him. It was the first time that he didn't worry about goofing off and making mistakes. This time, he was able to get himself to focus on the fight at hand.

Just a couple of feet away from Dan, Hwang had just taken down a guard after a brief fight with him. Eventually, the two noticed one another. They hardly knew each other, but both knew that the other was one of Raiden and Rose's chosen ones.

"How are you holding up?" Dan asked him.

At that moment, Hwang jumped up over Dan. The pink-clad man was confused by the action at first. That was until Hwang can down just behind him, cutting down a tarkatan that had attempted to kill Dan from behind. Dan quickly turned around afterwards and saw the cut up tarkatan dead on the ground and Hwang standing over it as he held on to his blood sword.

Hwang looked at Dan. "All right… I think," he replied.

Right after he said that, Hwang was suddenly grabbed by the neck from behind, the surprise forcing him to drop his sword. Dan's eyes widened in shock as he watched Hwang being lifted up from the ground… but was even more shocked as he saw that the Shokan Sheeva was the told holding Hwang by the throat.

Sheeva grinned as Hwang struggled to free himself from her hold. "Time to meet your demise!" she said sadistically.

As she was distracted, Dan took the opportunity to run forward and ram himself into Sheeva's abdomen. Sheeva suddenly felt some air rush out of her lungs, the attack causing her to let go of Hwang. The Keisei native landed back on the ground with a thud and found himself gasping for air, grabbing on to his sword in the process.

After catching her breath, Sheeva looked down at Dan as anger rushed over her. "You'll regret that!" she growled.

Although intimidated by her, Dan was willing to fight her. Quickly, the Shokan jumped up high in the air. Then, as she came back down, she found herself directly over Dan in an attempt to stomp him into the ground. However, Dan, managed to see this coming and quickly rolled out of the way before the impact and Sheeva only landed on dirt.

At that point, Hwang was back up on his feet and while Sheeva recovered from her jumped, he charged after her. Once he reached her, he was able to perform a double axe kick, which connected.

The kicks has stunned Sheeva for a moment. However, when Hwang attempted to perform a back hand chop, she managed to grab his wrist before it connected. She then pushed him back a bit before shooting all four arms out, shooting out a projectile. The energy managed to hit Hwang with enough force to fly him back a few feet.

This gave Dan the chance to jump back into the fight. He attempted to perform a scissor kick, but Sheeva managed to move out of the way before being hit. After recovering, Dan threw a few punches at her, which she managed to block as well.

Eventually, Dan realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with his punches and kicks, at least not against someone like Sheeva. He managed to pull himself back and briefly concentrated on collecting some energy into his hands.

However, he only had a few seconds before Sheeva began charging after him. At that moment, Dan shot his arm out.

" _Gadouken!_ " he called out as a blue projectile ejected from his hand, shooting forward until it hit Sheeva. The force of the impact was able to at least knock her off her feet.

By then, Hwang was already back on his feet and stood next to Dan. "Nice hit," he said to him.

"Thanks," Dan replied, feeling good about himself.

However, that didn't last long as Sheeva quickly stood herself back up. Anger was written all over her face as she stared at the two. A few seconds later, she raised all four of her fists in the air and let out a loud roar.

"Oh boy," Dan found himself saying.

"Hey," Hwang replied. "We were able to hold our own for a bit there. I'm sure if we work together, we can take her down."

Dan nodded, feeling more confident. "Yeah, you're right."

However, at that moment, a few other Shokans came by Sheeva's side as though replying to her roar. All had the same menacing look on their faces as her.

Both Dan and Hwang's eyes widened in shock.

"Um… I thinking fighting tarkatans is better than this," Dan exclaimed.

"Agreed!" Hwang answered.

From there, the two attempted to get away from the Shokans as they began chasing them down.

~~~

**On The Other Side Of The Battle...**

For some time, Wagner fought countless guards. During that time, he helped out his fellow allies or vice versa whenever the time came. As he continued fighting, he realized that both Sonya and Ginzu's deaths seemed to prelude to this very moment.

As he continued fighting, Wagner noticed three guards coming after him. In retaliation, Wagner drew his arm back before swinging it from his hip over to his opposite. In the middle of the swing, a yellow disc-like projectile shot out from his arm.

" _Ultra Disc!_ " he shouted. Quickly, the projectile managed to knock down all three guards.

"Got ya!" he called out. He then turned around to see if any other enemy would come after him. It was at that moment, about ten feet away, that he recognized someone he never expected to see up to this point in his time in Outworld…

Up ahead, Vega slaughtered yet another one of his 'unfortunate' opponents. He then happened to turn his head in time to see Wagner. A grin came over his lips underneath his mask. Of all people, he had hoped that he would see Wagner during this battle.

Anger and rage came over Wagner's face, especially after thinking over the fate of his sister. "Where's Lisa?!" he yelled out to him.

Vega stared at the young man in amusement. "I'm afraid to say that she's not around at the moment… but before I take your life, I must say that I've really enjoyed having her around… as my personal puppet."

Now he was pissed. In retaliation, Wagner quickly ran over to the mad man. When he reached him, he quickly performed an axe kick, which Vega blocked with his right arm in time. Vega then retaliated by attempting to slash Wagner with his claw, but the younger fighter managed to pull back before receiving any cuts.

From there, Vega continued slashing his claws out as though in a berserk frame of mind, forcing Wagner to pull back as much as he could. In the meantime, he was hoping to find an opening so that he could get a hit.

Eventually, Vega got close enough to where he was able to perform a spin kick, which connected at Wagner's stomach. As the sergeant was distracted, the matador whipped his claws, leaving deep scratch marks on his chest, causing Wagner to hiss in surprise and pull back even more afterward.

Vega let out a high-pitched laugh as he noted the blood seeping through Wagner's shirt. "Soon enough, while I taste my victory, you will agonize in defeat!"

Wagner clenched his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain in his chest. "Never! You'll pay for what you did to my sister!"

The younger man then ran forward, covering the distance between the two. He attempted to deliver some punches, which Vega managed to block with success. When an opening came, Vega kicked his foot forward, landing his heel on Wagner's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to rear back a few feet.

This gave Vega enough room to somersault forward. He then attempted to jab his claws out, but Wagner saw this in time. He lifted up his own foot and kicked the same way Vega just did moments… only this time, on his face.

Vega fell on his back after the impact. The porcelain mask on his face didn't break, but he knew the impact on the kick was going to leave bruises on his face. Upon realizing this, he suddenly found himself in a berserk frame of mind and quickly stood himself up.

"You kicked my beautiful face!" he screamed out. "Now you shall die!"

Wagner stood there, not feeling a bit amused by Vega's reaction to being kicked in the face. He stood in his place as Vega charged after him, welcoming whatever attack he had on him next.

However, just a few feet before Vega could reach him, he was suddenly kicked in the side of the head. The impact was hard enough to send him flying a few feet sideways, letting out a small yelp in surprise.

Wagner raised an eyebrow as he wasn't expected someone else to attack the matador. He looked over to see who was responsible for the kick. Upon seeing them, he recognized the Keisei native and fellow chosen one, Maxi!

After performing the kick, Maxi swung his nunchakus a bit, feeling pumped up. A while ago, Kilik and his friends had encouraged him to get out of Outworld and return to Keisei while he had the chance. Maxi, who was still feeling sores in his body, had tried, but kept finding himself fighting guards who kept going after him. However, he had just noticed Vega and decided to abandon his original plan just to be sure that Vega doesn't make it out of this realm alive.

"Come on!" Maxi exclaimed to him. "Get yourself up so that you can pay for what you did to Xianghua!"

Now Wagner understood Maxi's motivations. He heard a while ago that Xianghua had been attacked earlier during the tournament, but he never learned the person responsible for the attack, at least until now.

Vega slowly got himself back up while both Maxi and Wagner watched. Soon enough, the matador was on his feet again and looked over at Maxi, his icy blue eyes colder than ever.

"You will pay for you insolence!" Vega declared. He raised his claw up as he exchanged glances between Maxi and Wagner. "I'm going to enjoy killing the both of you!"

The Spanish ninja charged after them as Maxi and Wagner did the same towards them, all of them prepared for their two on one fight.

~~~

**Portals**

After barely making their way through, Paul and Cassandra finally reached the portals. They had come from the side so Raiden, who was currently fighting a tarkatan, didn't notice them right away.

"So many portals," Cassandra said as she looked over at them. "Which one do we go through?"

"I don't think it matters," Paul guessed. "Just go through any one of them and we'll be able to get back home."

Cassandra nodded. "I know I was a bit of a brat before, but thanks for bringing me up here."

"No problem," Paul replied. "Let's head home."

Cassandra decided to go to the closest portal, which happened to be the green one. Although her ankle was still hurting her, she was still able to walk, though she was forced to limp.

 _Sophitia… I'm coming home,_ she thought to herself.

Cassandra was just beginning to go through the portal when Raiden finally killed off the Tarkatan he was fighting. Afterward, he turned his head and gasped upon seeing Cassandra walking through the portal with Paul behind her.

"NO!" Raiden called out as he quickly teleported over there.

However, by the time the Thunder God got to them, Cassandra had already walked through the portal. Paul was the only one standing there, a bit surprised by Raiden's sudden reaction.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked him.

Raiden sighed a little. "I know that the two of you were trying to get out of here…however, there's one problem. These portals don't just lead to any realm. They are all linked to only one individual realm. The one Cassandra went through lead to Earth… however, she's actually from Keisei."

Paul found himself rubbing the back of his neck suddenly upon realizing the mistake. "Um… oops" was all he could say at the moment. "Should I try to get her back here?"

"Unfortunately, once you're through the portals, there's no going back."

"Damn," Paul muttered.

"Don't worry yourself," Raiden said. "I'll take care of things later."

"All right," Paul answered feeling a bit better about the situation. "Um… thanks for everything."

Raiden nodded. "You're welcome. Now get yourself home."

Paul nodded a bit. He briefly stared at the Earthrealm portal for a moment before stepping over the circled structure and walked through the portal which would return him home.

Once Paul disappeared, Raiden let out another exhale. "Looks like I got myself some work after this is over."

Afterward, the Thunder God resumed his position to protect the portals from the Emperor's forces.

~~~

**Near The Palace Grounds**

Kicking forward, Lita Luwanda managed to knock back a guard that attempted to take her down. She then took a second to catch her breath before she noticed another guard coming after her.

The young woman waited until the guard was close enough before performing a flip kick, knocking the guard up in the air. She then got back on her feet and just before the guard landed back on the ground, she quickly executed a spin kick, knocking him away from her.

"That takes care of you," Lita muttered under her breath. At that moment, she happened to look forward and noticed her fellow Delta Red teammate McCoy fighting off a couple of guards with ease. That was until she noticed a man dressed in an orange shirt, blue jeans, and a blue samurai kabuto with a mask come up to him. He wielded a pair of juttes holding on in each hand.

McCoy had noticed the new intruder known as Sodom and the two quickly engaged in combat. As the two exchanged moves, Lita noted that although McCoy was slightly bigger than his opponent, Sodom was able to hold his own with ease.

Lita decided to try go and help McCoy. They were only a few yards away so it didn't take long for her to get to them. However, Sodom ended up noticing her before hand and when she was close enough, he backhanded her right in the face. The force of the hit was hard enough to knock her down on to her back.

"Ahh!" she cried out as she hit the ground.

"Lita, stay back!" McCoy ordered her as he landed a punch into Sodom's stomach.

From there, Sodom and McCoy continued fighting as Lita struggled to get herself back on her feet. However, by the time that she was finally able to do so, when she turned to the fight, she was only able to watch as Sodom, finding a wide opening after kicking McCoy, took one of his juttes and left behind a deep gash in McCoy's throat.

" **NOOO!** " Lita screamed out in terror as she saw her comrade receiving the wound.

After receiving the gash, McCoy fell forward on to his knees as blood began to drip out. Having no further need to fight him, Sodom ran off to continue with the battle.

Lita ran over to McCoy and kneeled down next to him, holding up his large frame as he began to fall forward again. She bit her lip as she heard him trying to breathe, but only hear a small gurgling noise.

"Stay with me Matt," Lita said to him. "We've already lost Ginzu, we can't lose you either…"

McCoy tried to say something to her, but he wasn't able to speak. A few seconds later, he fell forward as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Afterward, he no longer moved.

Lita didn't need to check his vital signs to know that another one of her Delta Red comrades was dead. She felt the tears stain her face as she lied McCoy down on the ground before slowly standing herself up. Just like with Ginzu, mourning for McCoy would have to wait until this combat was over.

A second after standing herself up, Lita noticed Sodom about forty feet away from her fighting off someone who she didn't know but knew they were on her side. Slowly, she pulled out her large sword which was in it's scabbard behind her.

"You're dead!" she growled just before she began making her way towards Sodom. However, she was only about to run a few feet before a stray projectile hurled itself into her, the force sending her flying back a few yards away.

After landing, Lita glanced up to try to find Sodom again. Much to her dismay, she lost sight of him…

~~~

**Nearby…**

For a while, Hwang fought his way around as he attempted to look for Mina. Not too long ago, he was fighting alongside Dan Hibiki against the Shokan Sheeva… at least until they were nearly ganged up by a bunch of others that were of her race.

Luckily, the two of them managed to lose sight of the Shokans and they resumed with the combat at hand. Eventually, the two of them ended up separating during the continuing fray.

About ten minutes after separating, Hwang found himself killing off yet another guard when he heard a familiar voice calling out his name. Hwang turned his head to the voice and sighed of relief when he noticed Mi-na a few yards away. Next to her were both Kilik and Xianghua.

Quickly, Hwang ran over to them. "Where have you been?" Mi-na asked him, sounding a bit worried.

That was when Hwang realized something. "Where's Maxi?" he asked.

"He was too weary to keep fighting so he went to the portals," replied Xianghua.

"Listen," Mi-na began to say. "As much as I want to continue to fight, I'm starting to think that this is a losing fight. We're able to take down guards, but everyone else is much more stronger than them."

"We never had the time to prepare for this," Kilik mentioned.

Hwang sighed a little. "I want to help out too… but this may be our only chance to escape and fight another day. Anything could happen at any second."

"He's right," Xianghua agreed. "Let's get back to Keisei while we can."

From there, the four of them began making their way over to the portals. A few times on the way, their enemies attacked them, forcing them to fight against them. Luckily, they were able to take them down and continue running towards the portals.

It was about twenty minutes before they finally reached the top of the hill. They noticed Raiden standing in front of the structures along with several of Shao Kahn's forces lying unconscious next to his feet.

Raiden had long noticed the four making their way over here. He pointed to the silver portal. "That portal will lead you all home."

"Thank you Raiden," said Kilik. The Thunder God replied with a nod.

Kilik, Xianghua, and Hwang began heading to the portal. Mi-na, however, felt hesitant for a moment. She thought about how she ended up here to begin with. Mi-na had originaly escaped her home because she wanted to avoid marrying a man who seems to be a real scum despite being a rich farmer.

Mi-na's father was oblivious of the rumors about the way he treated the last woman he was with and going through with the arranged marriage was the last thing she wanted to do.

Her three friends were just reaching for the portal when Hwang turned his head and noticed his childhood friend standing a few feet away from the portal. He was confused as to why she was just standing there… but then remembered.

An idea came to him.

Hwang turned back to Kilik and Xianghua. "Hang on," he told them, his voice stopping the two from walking. He then jogged his way to Mi-na, stopping just in front of her.

"If you don't feel you're ready to go back," Hwang began to say. "Leave for another realm. I'll explain the situation to master . I'll try to convince him that this isn't a good idea."

Mi-na looked up at him with a bit of confusion. "Isn't that a bit irrational?"

Hwang sighed a bit. "I know, but I think that if you end up going back for right now, master may not even listen to either of us."

Mi-na found herself frowning. "Why don't you come with me then?"

Hwang also frowned. "I wish I could, but I can't right now. However, I'll try to find you when the right time comes. In the end though, it's your choice."

Mina nodded. She thought through this for a minute before turning her head to Raiden, who had listened to the whole conversation.

"I suggest going to Earth," Raiden said as he pointed at the green portal. "I'm the protector of that realm so I'll try to help with the situation."

Mi-na took a deep breath. "Guess it's Earth then."

Hwang nodded. "We'll meet again soon."

In reply, Mi-na embraced her friend. Hwang wrapped his arms around her as well and the two shared a brief hug before Mi-na pulled back. Without saying anymore, she began heading over to the Earthrealm portal as Hwang and their allies watched.

Upon reaching the portal, Mi-na briefly looked over at Hwang one last time. Afterward, she faced the portal before walking through it, disappearing through it.

Hwang stood where he was for another moment before walking to where Kilik and Xianghua stood. "Let's go."

With that, the three of them walked through the portal, now returning to Keisei.

~~~

**Near The Palace Grounds**

After fighting off a guard, Julia Chang was able to get a small breather. That was until another guard came after her. Immediately, she performed a roundhouse kick, stunning the guard for a moment before landing a punch to his head, getting him out of her way.

By then, she could feel herself becoming more weary by the minute. Julia had been fighting for as long as she could remember ever since she and the other chosen ones jumped into the fray.

She had two reasons for joining the fight… to defend themselves of course, but also in hopes of finding Ryu. Despite the current rift between them, Julia started to feel some anxiety upon learning that Ryu hasn't been seen or heard from since last night. Even though she was still angry for what he had done to her mother, she realized that he was only defending himself at the time. She only wished that the situation was handled differently.

 _If only I had the chance to tell him this…_ Julia said to herself in her mind.

As she thought of this, Julia was suddenly tackled down to the ground, letting out a small yelp in surprise as she landed on her back. The attacker then got himself up, but before she could do the same, the attacker quickly pinned her down with his foot. Julia looked up and gasped upon realizing that it was a tarkatan that was pinning her down.

The young woman attempted to push him off of her, but he only proved to be too strong for her. Her eyes then widened in horror as a single blade slid out of his arm. He then raised it above her. At that moment, Julia began to realize that she was about to meet her end.

 _Just make it quick…_ she begged as she stared at the tip of the sharp blade.

However, before the tarkatan had the chance to make the final blow, Julia suddenly heard someone yell, " _Flying Peach!_ " before seeing Mika fly backwards into the tarkatan. The impact forced the tarkatan to released Julia from his pin, freeing her, before flying a few more feet away. When he landed, someone on their side saw him and quickly stabbed him with a sword, ending his life.

Slowly, Julia and Mika got themselves back on their own feet. For a moment, the two stared at each other as thoughts of their rivalry during the tournament passed their minds… a silly rivalry at that as they both realized.

A small smile came over Julia's lips. "Thanks," she said.

Mika smirked at her. "My pleasure." She then looked over at the portal. "Do you want to try to get out of here?"

"I don't want to leave yet," Julia replied. "At least not until I know what happened to Ryu."

Mika frowned a little. "He would want you to get out of here."

"I know," Julia nodded. "But what if he doesn't make it out of here? I don't think I'd be able to live with myself then."

Mika nodded as well as she understood. "Good luck."

"You too."

Afterward, the two former rivals went their separate ways.

~~~

**Not Too Far…**

Jumping up in the air, Vega looked down at the two men fighting him, Wagner and Maxi. He smirked at his handy work as they both had received gashes from his now-bloody claws. Soon, he began free falling back down. Wagner and Maxi stood where they were, ready for any of his attacks.

Vega quickly somersaulted himself so that he was diving down towards them. Soon, he reached them, but the both of them managed to get themselves out of the way. When he was closer to the ground, Vega set himself up so that he was able to land safely.

Quickly, Wagner shot out yet another _Ultra Disc_. Vega quickly jumped over it, bringing himself closer to the sergeant before kicking him in the face, knocking him back a few feet.

After Vega landed, Maxi took the opportunity to attack next. He managed to land a few nunchaku moves on Vega's back, leaving behind some whip lashes. Once the matador was able to regain himself, he used his right arm and back Maxi away from him, sending him flying away.

By then, despite a bloody nose, Wagner jumped back into a fray, landing in a jump kick at Vega's chest, causing the taller man to stagger back. Wagner then followed up with a punch before delivering two elbow jabs.

After receiving the blows, Vega jumped away to give himself some brief time to recuperate. He jumped around for a moment, bouncing off some nearby trees before performing a flying kick which landed on Wagner's chest. The force of the blow caused the young man to flying back away from him yet again.

At that point, Maxi was back on his feet. He felt himself starting to get dizzy, but he tried to shake it off. _I'm not done with you yet!_ he declared in his mind.

With all the strength he had in him, Maxi quickly performed a double kick. However, Vega was able to get himself out of the way before being hit. Maxi then attempted an elbow jab, but Vega blocked it with his right hand. He then used his left arm to lash his claw, leave a gash on Maxi's face.

Maxi gritted his teeth in pain as he reared away from his opponent after receiving the wounds. Afterward, Vega began swinging his claws like a mad man. This forced Maxi to move further back. By then, however, he was beginning to lose blood, which made his dizziness much worse.

Eventually, Vega left another gash on Maxi's chest, his own blood splattering onto his white jacket. Now even more weakened, Maxi fell back into the ground.

"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath.

A sadistic laugh escaped Vega as he stood over Maxi. "Enjoy your defeat because you'll be dead momentarily! One down, one to go!"

Behind him, Wagner had just finally got himself back up. By the way things were looking, he knew that Vega was about to kill off Maxi, who was struggling to move away from Vega while on the ground. Feeling anger within him, Wagner's right arm filled with yellow electricity as he prepared to shoot out another projectile at his enemy.

However, before he could, a loud _BAM!_ was heard, catching Wagner off guard for just a second. Immediately following that, Vega suddenly flew a couple of feet away from where he had just stood. After landing on the ground, Vega was completely still…

Wagner then realized what that noise was… it was a gunshot.

"Who the…" Wagner muttered, but he soon found his answer. Walking forward from his right was Nina Williams, who held a smoking gun in her right hand as she looked down at Vega with no emotions in her eyes.

Once he gathered what just happened, Wagner walked over to Nina. "What was that about?" he asked her feeling confused.

Nina didn't answer his question right away. Instead, she placed her gun back in it's Hollister before bending down to Vega's lifeless form. She then took the opportunity to remove the bloody claw from his hand and placed it in a pouch before standing up.

"He was the reason I came here to begin with," Nina began to explain. "I was assigned to assassinate him for his crimes."

"So you know about… Viper?" Wagner ended up asking her.

Nina looked over at him. "I've seen her… I was told not to harm her. Why do you care?"

"Because she's my sister."

Nina only stared at Wagner for a moment before turning around and ran back into the battle around them.

 _So is she really here or not?_ he asked himself. _That's all I want to know…_

After shaking his head, Wagner turned his head and saw Maxi trying to get himself back up. Immediately, the sergeant ran over to him and began to help him up.

"Damn him," Maxi uttered a bit. "At least… he's dead now…"

"Yeah," Wagner agreed as he threw Maxi's arm over his own shoulders in order to keep him up. "Come on… I'll take you to the portals."

Maxi nodded. Now that Vega was taken care of, he was now ready to get himself back to Keisei.

From there, the two men began walking away. Unknown to them, however, Vega's eyes quickly snapped open once he realized that they were far enough. He had been hit by the bullet, but it only managed to lodge into his shoulder blade.

 _Fools,_ he thought. _They haven't seen the last of me!_

~~~

**About Two Hours North, Near Shao Kahn's Fortress**

A while ago, the demon Akuma emerged from the Wastelands after the sky above turned blood red. He immediately knew that something big was going down and he was able to sense that there was some action taking place at the tournament grounds.

If there was a large battle going on, then Akuma definitely wanted to join the fray as an opportunity to engage more opponents. Ever since his match with Ryu last night, he had done nothing more than crave more fighting… since last time, he was feeling rather disappointed over it.

He believed that his next battle would make up for it.

After some time of walking, Akuma was able to see Shao Kahn's fortress not too far from him. Only last night did he awaken in there after being in a deep slumber along with the ninja spectre Scorpion. Whatever reason for it was no matter to him… especially now since his escape.

Soon, the wind picked up and Akuma was able to sense a dark chi nearby. The demon stopped himself to get himself to sense the chi better. It wasn't long before he was able to recognize it.

 _You've returned for more I see…_ he thought with a small smirk.

That's when Akuma heard a whiz-like sound coming towards him from behind. He waited until the right moment before quickly turning around and catching a rope in his hand. At the end of the rope was the familiar spear.

On the other end, Scorpion stood a few yards away. He showed no emotion in his transparent eyes, even when Akuma managed to catch his spear with his own bare hands.

The two demons stared at each other for a moment before Scorpion quickly retracted his spear. After letting go, Akuma quickly shot out a hand and a blue projectile shot out. It sped it's way towards Scorpion, but the ninja spectre quickly teleported away before being hit. He then reappeared behind Akuma and attempted to kick him. However, Akuma had predicted that he would do this and flipped forward out of the way. He then straightened himself out before turning around to face his opponent.

Once again, Akuma and Scorpion stared at each other as they waited for the other to make the next move. The long-awaited battle between the Ansatuken demon and the Ninja spectre had finally begun…


	70. Chapter Sixty-Nine

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

"It's about time you woke up," a demonic-like voice said out loud.

It was the first thing she heard as Alex fluttered her eyes open. At first, she thought that she was dreaming, but as she slowly opened her eyes, she began to realize that wasn't the case.

 _Who just spoke?_ she asked herself.

Soon her eyes were completely open. For a moment, Alex expected herself to be lying on a bed. Instead, she was sitting upright against the wall. Feeling confused, she looked around for a bed and soon realized that her arms were chained up over her head.

"What the-" she ended up uttering as she tried to struggle out of the chains. However, it didn't take her too long to realize that trying to get herself free was useless.

 _Damn it,_ she thought. _I've been kidnapped again?!_

That's when Alex heard footsteps coming towards her. She looked over in front of her and her heart seemed to stop upon viewing the sorcerer Shang Tsung.

Now she remembered how she got here to begin with.

"Where's Li Mei?" Alex asked.

A small chuckle escaped Shang Tsung's throat. "How amusing… she asked about you as well. Just like you, she is resting comfortably in another room."

Then slowly, he lifted up his right arm. Alex noted something glowing a bit from the corner of her eye and she shifted them to get a better look. She felt puzzled upon seeing what looked like a black collar with a green gem on it.

Shang Tsung noticed her eying the object and he grinned. "Isn't it such a lovely artifact? I do hope that's what you're thinking because this is my gift to you. You see… there's a good reason why you and Li Mei are here."

Alex stayed silent as she awaited to learn more of his plan.

"…To join my harem."

Alex felt her nose twitch with disgust. "Drop dead, you sick bastard!"

"That's what they all say," Shang Tsung replied. "But I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter."

Shang Tsung then lifted up a hand to brush her face with his fingers. Alex quickly moved her head away, but this only caused him to be annoyed. He then grabbed both sides of her jaw and turned it so that she was facing him.

Immediately, she spat in his face. He gave her a blank expression as he slowly wiped the spit from his cheek. Then, using the same hand, he quickly backhanded her across the face with enough force to make her head snap sideways. Her eyes widened and she let out a pained cry after receiving what was probably the hardest slap she ever felt in her life. She was sure that her cheek was going to develop a bruise later.

"I'm afraid that once the collar is on your neck," Shang Tsung said more loudly. "You shall belong to me… forever."

Just before he could say anything else, the door to the room was forced open. The sorcerer quickly turned his head, feeling even more annoyed, especially once seeing that it was two guards who came in.

"What do you want?!" the sorcerer exclaimed. "I'm busy right now!"

"Sir!" one guard began to say. "The woman in purple that you captured today… she's escaped!"

Rage took over the sorcerer as his eyes glowed green upon realizing what happened to Li Mei. "She WHAT?!"

Before the guards were able to answer, both of them were suddenly surrounded by auras… one in green and the other in blue. Both unable to move, they could only scream as they were slightly raised from the ground before being smashed together with enough force to knock them out cold. After the impact, the auras vanished and the bodies crashed onto the floor.

Seconds later, two figures came in, both of them holding out their weapons. Shang Tsung felt a bit surprised at first as he recognized Ermac and Kenshi, who he never expected to see.

Shang Tsung stared at Ermac, who he hasn't seen since he betrayed the Emperor. "I see that you're not dead after all… traitor!"

Kenshi cut in by stepping forward, the tip of his sword pointing at his long-time enemy. "Release her, sorcerer!" he demanded.

Shang Tsung turned his head to the blind swordsman as a smirk came over his face. Despite the blindfold over his eyes, the sorcerer realized how determined he was to see through his mission, so to speak.

 _I see now,_ he thought as he realized the possible connection between the swordsman and the sorcerer's prisoner.

"It's so good to _see_ you after such a long time Kenshi," he said. "Too bad you can't say the same. I mean, after all, when I took your ancestors' souls over a decade ago, I never expected you to lose your sight that day."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise as she began to finally understand why Kenshi wanted to get access Outworld… it was to get to Shang Tsung for what he did to him all those years ago. Now she also understood better as to why Kenshi kept asking her to keep herself from the sorcerer's view.

Kenshi's grip on his sword tightened a bit. "Enough. It ends here."

Shang Tsung's smirk widened. "I assume that you are issuing a challenge, am I correct? Well then… in that case, let's make a proposal. This will be a good old fashion duel." He then looked over at Alex. "If you win, she goes free. If I win however…"

"I accept," Kenshi replied without hesitation.

Shang Tsung nodded. "Good. Meet me in my throne room on the first floor. You have ten minutes." With that, the sorcerer teleported out of the room.

Immediately, Ermac went over to Alex and, using his telekinesis, broke the chains off. Alex began to fall forward as the chains dropped to the floor, but Kenshi, who followed, caught her.

Alex looked up at Kenshi. "The worse he did was slap me," she said to him. "I heard Li Mei escaped…"

"Guile's taking her back to the tournament grounds," Kenshi informed her.

"We're not sure if you're aware," said Ermac. "But Shao Kahn has unleashed an onslaught on the tournament participants. He plans to enslave everyone physically or by taking their souls. There's no solid plan amongst us and for now, the only way we'll be able to survive is to escape Outworld."

Kenshi sighed a little. "Sonya's dead…"

Alex gasped in horror as she placed a hand over her open mouth, not believing what she had just heard. Although she had only known her for a couple of years, Sonya had become not only just a good friend, but also a mentor to her. To hear that she was gone broke her heart.

She found herself trying to fight the tears that threatened to escape. However, she knew that like everyone else, mourning would have to wait until they were out of this situation.

"Alex," Kenshi continued after some silence. "Ermac knows of an escape not too far from here. It's a portal that will take you back to Earth. I want you to go with him and get out of here."

"What about our friends?" Alex asked with concern.

"There are a set of portals opened up for them at the tournament grounds," Ermac told her. "For us, it's too far, but we can take you to this one as it is much closer."

Alex nodded, not feeling too sure. Once again she looked up at Kenshi. Although she didn't want him to stay behind, she knew that this was something he had to do. This was a quest he had been chasing for so long, and now that Kenshi was merely one step away from finally completing his mission, it would be selfish of her to try to stop him now. Besides, someone had to stop the sorcerer once and for all for all the pain an misery he caused.

She just hoped that this wouldn't be the last time that she would see him alive…

Alex took a deep breath before she spoke. "Go kick his ass. He deserves to be slaughtered like the scum he is for what he did to you and everyone he's come into contact with… especially the souls he's captured over the years."

Without saying anything, Kenshi leaned his head towards her and the two soon found themselves sharing a deep kiss. Alex kept her hands over his chest as one of Kenshi's arms, with the other still grasping onto the hilt of his sword, wrapped around her waist, at one point bringing her a bit closer to her.

Neither one of them were sure how much time passed before Kenshi broke the kiss. He then pulled away from her and Alex could only watch as he turned around and began leaving the room. Kenshi then turned his head towards Ermac as he began to pass him. Niether one of them said anything, though Ermac simply nodded at him at one point.

Alex found herself frowning a bit as Kenshi stepped out through the open door and disappeared around the corner…

~~~

**Near The Main Palace**

A low spin kick sent one guard to the ground. Afterward, Nina Williams straightened herself up and she watched as another guard came after her. Staying in her fighting stance, she waited until the guard was close enough for her to perform two punches to his face, knocking his helmet off his head in the process, before doing a hand chop on the front of his neck.

As the guard gasped for air, Nina jumped up and wrapped her legs around his neck. She then quickly twisted herself, breaking the guard's neck in the meantime, killing him instantly. Afterward, she jumped back down to the ground.

At that moment, a gunshot was heard and Nina quickly ducked, just in case it was coming her way. After a few seconds, she straightened herself back up and looked over in the direction where the gunshot was heard.

Just a few feet away stood her younger sister Anna. With her red dress swaying in the light wind, she held a gun that was pointing directly at her with it's barrel smoking.

Immediately, Nina pulled out her own gun and began shooting. Anna immediately dodged the bullets, all the while shooting her own gun at her older sister. The gun battle didn't last long before they both ran out of bullets.

Anna smirked. "Guess we'll have to settle this the old fashion way."

Without saying a word, Nina ran after her and soon the two engaged in combat. As they exchanged maneuvers, neither of them no longer cared about the battle around them…what mattered to them now was killing the other.

At one point, the two backed away each other as they realized how even they were. A smile came over Anna's face. "It's about time we finally settle our score once and for all."

"Indeed," replied Nina. "Because now I can finally kill you without anything holding me back."

Anna quickly jumped forward after Nina and the two began fighting again. This time, Anna was on offense as she threw three punches in a row, the first two in which Nina blocked. However, she managed to land the third punch on her face before kicking upward.

The kick connected, sending Nina flying upward a couple of feet. Nina managed to catch herself quickly by somersaulting backwards and land back on the floor with both feet.

Anna covered the distance between them again. This time, Nina managed to get a hit by punching her face. She the followed with a high spin kick, causing Anna to turn her back on her. Given the chance then, Nina pushed her hand forward, perform a palm strike that caused Anna to stumble forward a few feet.

In fast pace, Anna turned her attention back to Nina. They both ran over to each other again before Anna landed a kick at Nina's stomach, causing the blonde to keel over in pain. Then, Anna landed a punch to her face again, followed it with a spin kick, and ended it with a punch to her side.

Nina stumbled sideways before regaining herself. She got into a fighting stance as Anna caught up with her. When the brunette was close enough, Nina clenched her fist before executing an uppercut, sending Anna flying in the air before crashing into the floor.

Anna shook the pain off after landing. Just before she got up, she noticed a knife just a hand's reach away.

A gleam came over her blue eyes as an idea came to her…

Just near the sisters, Yun Lee just knocked a guard away from him when he noticed Anna and Nina fighting just a few yards away. His eyes widened a bit upon seeing Nina perform an uppercut to Anna.

Without thinking, Yun began running over. He knew Anna was a good person and the last thing he wanted to see was one of the chosen ones fighting her, especially by her sister.

Yun came up to Nina from behind, intending on knocking her away. However, unknown to him, Anna had just gotten back on her feet, the knife in her hand. Nina saw the knife in her sister's hand and jumped out of the way as she began aiming it over towards her. However, when Nina moved, this left Yun open and before he knew it, he felt the knife plunge into his shoulder.

Yun staggered slightly and he clenched his teeth at the pain. He then looked up at Anna, who had a surprise look on her face… at first. Once she realized what she had done, an annoyed look took place, leaving Yun confused at first.

"…You shouldn't have gotten in my way, little boy." Then, leaving the knife in his shoulder, she quickly kicked him away just before Nina tackled her to the ground.

Yun's siblings, Yang and Yin, had witnessed what just happened a couple of yards away and they both came to his aid. Yin helped her brother sit up, frowning a little not just over the fact that he just got hurt, but also over the fact that it was Anna who stabbed him. "Yun, you're okay…"

Yang briefly examined his wound. "You'll be fine, just don't take that knife out."

"Let's get him to the portal," Yin suggested.

Yang only nodded as he helped Yin with getting Yun back on his feet. As he was helped by Yang and Yin, Yun bent his head down a bit so that he was able to hide the grim look in his eyes with the visor of his hat.

 _She… used me…_ he thought. _What we had was nothing more than a lie…_

~~~

**On The Other Side Of the Battle…**

Cammy White mostly fought off enemies, using everything that she got. At one point, she performed her cannon spike, crouching low to the ground before pushing herself up foot first, knocking a guard up in the air.

Afterwards, the young blonde straightened herself out before briefly looking at her surroundings. _Jin… where are you…_ she thought.

Unknown to her, a guard sneaked up behind her, his sword out ready to strike her down. However, her comrade Wolfman noticed this in time and her quickly punched the guard in the head, rendering him out cold.

Cammy heard the bone-crushing impact and quickly turned around and saw Wolfman. "Colonel!" she called out.

"Cammy!" he exclaimed. "Try to get out of here while you can!"

Before she was able to reply, the tarkatan Baraka jumped over at Wolfman. The older man saw the mutant in time and dodged out of the way before being hit by his blades.

After regaining himself, Wolfman went after Baraka, who stood in his place as he welcomed the onslaught. When Wolfman was close enough, Baraka swung his sword four times, only able to cut Wolfman's shirt a couple of times. Soon, Wolfman found an opening and performed two punch jabs. Baraka was able to block the first punch, but the second one hit his chest, causing him to rear back a couple of feet. Then, Wolfman lifted his foot and executed a low-side kick, causing Baraka to stagger again. As he did, he lifted up his arms and shot out a projectile, which Wolfman moved away from.

After recovering, Baraka ran over to Wolfman again and the two exchanged their own maneuvers again before Wolfman was able to get the upper hand. He punched Baraka in the face before crouching low for a sweep kick, which Baraka jumped over.

Wolfman straightened himself back up, but was only met with a punch to the face by Baraka. Then, as he staggered back, he suddenly found himself gasping as one of Baraka's blades pierced him through his stomach…

Nearby, Cammy had been fighting another guard before finally knocking him away from her. She turned her head to see how Wolfman was holding up… and gasped in horror upon seeing her comrade being stabbed by the leading tarkatan.

" **KEITH!** " Cammy cried out to him. Before she was able to think, Baraka then used his other blade and swiftly cut Wolfman's head off, sending it flying in the opposite direction from Cammy. Baraka then released his blade from his stomach. His body staggering sideways for a moment feet before falling back first into the ground.

" **NOOO!** " Cammy screamed as tears streamed down her face. Suddenly, she was kicked from behind, sending her flying forward before crashing into the floor. Using whatever strength she had, she turned over to see who had delivered the kick.

Standing over her was Viper. Cammy stared at her for a moment as she stood herself up, wondering why she seemed so familiar…

Viper stood there with no emotions in her eyes, her arms up and ready to fight. Cammy quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before getting in her own stance. "If it's a fight you want, then bring it on!"

"Engaging target!" Viper called out as she began running.

Cammy raised an eyebrow and didn't have time to figure out why that saying was so familiar before she was swiftly kicked in the face, forcing her to flying back a few feet…

~~~

**Near Shao Kahn's Fortress**

The demon Akuma jumped up just before two fireballs were able to hit him. He stared over at his opponent, the ninja spectre Scorpion, who stared up at him as well.

The fight between them had been going on for quite something. They were in clear view of Shao Kahn's fortress as they continued with their own combat. So far, both seemed quite even.

From the air, Akuma shot out his _Hadouken_ projectile at Scorpion. However, the spectre was able to see this in time and rolled sideways out of the projectile's path. The projectile ended up exploding as it crashed against the ground, causing the grass and leaves it hit to shoot up in the air…at least those that didn't end up getting burnt to nothing.

Once again, as Scorpion shot out another two fireballs, Akuma shot out another _Hadouken._ One of the fireballs managed to collide with the blue projectile, but the other managed to knock Akuma back before he was able to land back on both feet. On the ground, Akuma rolled a few feet before coming to a stop. After a brief recovery, he got himself back up.

As Scorpion began to reach him, Akuma jumped up and executed a diagonal kick, hitting Scorpion in the face. The impact forced the spectre to fall back and he soon found himself rolling down a hill before coming to a stop.

Scorpion got back on his feet just as Akuma reached him. The two exchanged their own punches and kicks for a few minutes in abnormal speed. At one point, they both jumped in the air and fought airborne. Eventually, Scorpion kicked Akuma in the face as his foot was surrounded by flames. The force of the kick knocked Akuma back down to the lands of Outworld.

Akuma quickly pushed himself back up and just before Scorpion was able to get back to the ground, Akuma jumped up and performed an uppercut, his fist connecting under the spectre's chin. Scorpion was forced to flying back up in the air before he came crashing back down.

The demon began to approach the spectre, but then, Scorpion quickly sat up and shot out yet another fireball. It caught Akuma again, knocking him back a few feet. This gave Scorpion the chance to get back up.

Once Akuma was up as well, the two charged over to each other to continue their one on one battle…

~~~

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

Standing in the middle of the throne room, the sorcerer Shang Tsung looked at his surroundings. The room was mainly filled with gargoyle statues made out of stone and the room was lit with countless candles. In the back of his room was his golden throne, which had demon faces at the end of his two arm rests. In the middle of the room, where he stood, was a circled-like structure that seemed to serve as a fighting ring. The structure was designed with a black dragon pictured from it's side and with it's tongue out as though it was getting ready to breathe out fire.

For a while, the sorcerer waited here quietly. He knew that a couple of guards were outside the large room, guarding the room with their life.

Soon, footsteps began to echo around the room. Shang Tsung turned his head in the direction of the footsteps and soon saw the swordsman Kenshi.

 _It's about time you showed up,_ he thought.

Without saying a word, Kenshi made his way over to the sorcerer. Upon entering the circled structure, he stopped just a few feet away. Shang Tsung stared at him and noted that Kenshi's head was facing his direction as though he was staring at him as well.

In silence, both of them drew out their respective swords from their scabbards. Afterward, the two began to slowly circle each other as they waited for the other to make the first move. Eventually, they both ended up running towards each other at the same time. Soon, their weapons collided, signaling the beginning of their dual.

For a while, the two fought back and forth as they tried to get themselves in the offense. At one point, Kenshi swung his sword upward, causing Shang Tsung to step back and only got a part of the shirt covering his shoulder cut. Then, as the swordsman swung his sword back down, the sorcerer quickly blocked the move with his weapon.

Again, the two continued clashing with their swords. At one point, Shang Tsung swung his sword from side to side, cutting some parts of Kenshi's shirt and part of his own sash which went over his right shoulder and over either side of his torso. Then, the sorcerer attempted to lash his sword at Kenshi's ankles, but the swordsman jumped over the weapon beforehand. From overhead, Kenshi swung his sword downwards, forcing the sorcerer to block yet again.

Pushing against their swords in order to get on the offense, Shang Tsung stared at him. "You're a fool if you think you're going to win this!"

"You're overconfidence will be your downfall," Kenshi growled, reminding the sorcerer how he was able to trick the swordsman the first time all those years ago.

Shang Tsung then smirked a bit as a sadistic thought came to him. "Don't be so sure now. I will say this however… when I do win this, the first thing I will do is take your little whore for myself!"

In a quick reply, Kenshi kneed the sorcerer in the stomach, causing him to stagger back. Then, Kenshi used his telekinesis to push his sword forward, making it spin wildly, forcing the sorcerer to run away from it until he used his fireball projectile to knock it away from him. Kenshi used his powers then to return the sword in his own hands.

The two charged after each other again to continue their duel…

~~~

**Near The Main Palace**

While trying to reach the portals, Mika fought her way through the guards that were trying to take her down. Some of the guards were easy enough for her, but there were those that posed a bit of a challenge for her.

At one point after clearing house, she noticed Yang and Yin carrying Yun up on the hill that lead to the portals. After seeing the knife in Yun's shoulder, concern came over her and she ran towards him.

"Is he okay?" Mika asked as she reached them.

"He's okay," said Yin. "We just have to get him back to Earth."

"Is there anything I can do?" Mika asked even though she knew that there wasn't anything much she could do.

However, that proved to be the opposite as Yang looked over at her. "Actually, you can help Yin get him to the portal."

Yin looked at Yang in shock. "What?! You mean you're going to stay here?!"

"I have to!" Yang replied. "I haven't seen Maki since before this whole thing started and I want to make sure nothing happened."

"Are you sure?" Mika asked with concern.

"I insist," Yang answered. "At least I know Yun and Yin will be okay."

"You better get back home alive," Yin said to him.

Yang briefly looked at Yun. "You'll be okay."

Yun only nodded silently.

Yang and Mika switched places and he watched briefly as she helped Yin with carrying Yun up the hill. Soon, he turned back around, heading towards the battle…

~~~

**Not Too Far**

"This is quite fun!" Havik found himself saying.

For a while, the cleric of chaos slaughtered people like no tomorrow, swinging around his morning star weapon and killing people left and right. With doing this, he was making everyone in Chaosrealm proud.

After killing off a guard, he turned his head and noticed Sodom just a few feet away. Sodom noticed him as well and lifted his bloody juttes up, ready for battle.

" _Anata ga shindeshimau! Ten'nō no meirei!_ (You will die! Emperor's order!)" Sodom exclaimed. With that, he charged after Havik.

"Give in to Chaos," Havik said just before engaging in combat with Sodom.

Only for a short time did the two fight with their weapons before they were knocked off their hands, forcing them to revert to hand to hand. Eventually, Havik managed to get on offense, quickly executing two palm strikes before following with two knee strikes… all which were blocked.

After blocking, Sodom rammed his elbow into Havik's face, knocking him back. Then, he jumped up and performed a roundhouse kick, forcing the cleric to falling sideways.

"What was that?" Havik asked him as he got back up. Quickly then, he bent his knees _backwards_ , shooting out a blue projectile. The projectile managed to hit Sodom forcing him to stumble back.

Before Sodom was able to regain himself, two hook-like weapons stabbed him from behind and emerged out through his chest. For a moment, Sodom stood there stunned, at least until the hookswords released him. With that, he fell forward as his life drained out of him…

Havik dusted himself off and looked over at the person holding the now-bloody weapons. "You got here at a good time, Kabal."

"Indeed," Kabal agreed.

A while ago, Kabal had been stabbed by Kira when she betrayed the Black Dragon by questioning their motives. Havik had brought him into a hiding spot in the wastelands and Kabal was able to recover from his wounds. This was the first time the both of them came out from their hiding places and appearing in the tournament grounds.

"After that fight," Havik began to say. "I'm starting to get bored of all this. If I fight anymore, it might become a bit more… orderly." He shuddered at the last word.

"Perhaps we should return to Chaosrealm," Kabal suggested.

A gleam seemed to come over Havik's eyes. "Great idea. Perhaps then, we'll be able to rebuild the Black Dragon… and with that, we'll create more chaos than ever before. The good news is that I know of a portal other than the one here that will lead us back to the realm."

"Then let's take our leave."

"We shall."

With that, the two began leaving the battleground.

~~~

**Twenty Minutes Away, Cathedral Grounds**

"Man am I glad to have gotten out of here!" a guard said as he caught his breath from running.

"Same here," his ally, a guard as well, agreed.

The two were finally able to find an area where they wouldn't be found. As they got away from the battle, they made sure to go the opposite direction from Shao Kahn's fortress.

A thought came to the first guard. "Why don't we try to get up to the portals?"

"Not a good idea unfortunately," the second guard answered. "I heard the Thunder God Raiden is up there protecting the portals. Most likely why they were activated in the first place."

"I didn't think those rumors were true…"

"All I know is that I'm glad to be out of there."

"You said it! This battle plan was nothing more than pointless. I mean, does the Emperor really think he can take over the realms again?"

The second guard shook his head. "Maybe with more souls, he'd be more powerful than he was last time."

While he was talking, the first guard happened to look up in the air just in time to see something in the sky. At first he thought it was an Outworld vulture… however, he realized that the wings were much too big. He continued to gawk as the creature flew towards the cathedral just up the small hill. It crashed through one of the glass skylights and some of it's black feathers flew up in the air slightly upon impact.

The second guard happened to hear the crash and quickly turned his head towards the cathedral. "What the hell was that?!" he asked feeling a little freaked out.

Before the first guard could answer, the two found themselves shrieking as they were both grabbed from behind by a single person. Just before they were able to fight back, the figure smashed their heads together, rendering them out cold and perhaps leaving behind a major concussion.

The figure soon dropped the two as a sadistic grin came over his face. His eyes glowed a blood red as his dark hair and crimson bandana swayed in the light wind. He wore a dark gray gi which was ripped at the arms and ankles and a black karate belt wrapped around his waist, and his body was surrounded by a purple aura.

Most would recognize him as Ryu… but in this case, he would rather be called Evil Ryu.

Briefly, he marveled over the fact of taking down the two guards so easily. Then, his grin faded as he turned his head over in the direction where the cathedral stood.

 _There's… a powerful energy from inside!_ he exclaimed in his mind.

Quickly, Evil Ryu teleported himself to the entrance of the church. He never hesitated as he walked through the open doors. After walking a few yards, he found himself in the main area.

The cathedral was mostly empty with the exception of a few statues, an altar, and the color-stained windows. Near the altar, Evil Ryu found the source of the energy… it was that of a demon who stood near the altar with his large, black feathered wings folded.

The demon seemed to have sensed Evil Ryu as well and he turned around, revealing more of himself. Heavy chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles and he wore black pants with a red flame on the right pant. On his bare torso were various tattoos with an additional one on his upper left arm. On his head peaking out from his jet black hair were a pair of horns and his eyes glowed in a silver-white color.

Most would recognize him as Jin Kazama. However, now, he was known as Devil Jin.

Evil Ryu and Devil Jin stared at each other for a moment as they tried to gain a sense of one another strong, dark energies. Soon, however, Devil Jin lifted a hand up, which seemed a bit deformed.

"Fear the wrath of God!" he called out.

Evil Ryu slowly got himself into a fighting stance. "I fear nothing."

A few more moments passed before they both launched themselves towards each other at the same time in abnormal speed, ready to take each other on in their one combat.


	71. Chapter Seventy

**Less Than A Mile From The Main Palace**

Feeling out of breath, Heihachi Mishima and Kazuya Mishima stared down at one another as they stood just a few yards away from each other. In the background, they could still hear the large battle that was currently taking place. At this point, neither one of them were sure how long they've been fighting, but one thing was for sure… neither one of them weren't about to give up just yet.

Heihachi watched as his only son briefly wiped a small bead of sweat from his head with the back of his gloved hand. A smirk came over the older man's face.

"You know," he said. "You look tired. Just to remind you… you're not so young yourself anymore."

Kazuya wasn't phased by his words and said nothing. He straightened himself out a bit and was just ready to launch himself forward when he noticed something just behind Heihachi. He quickly shifted his eyes and he forced himself to hide his developing smirk as he noticed a guard coming up to the older man.

Heihachi smirked even more… as he saw another guard behind Kazuya as well.

The father and son continued to glare at each other as they both waited for the guards to attack. To them, they believed that the other wasn't aware of anyone being behind them right at this very moment.

Then, at the same time, they both turned themselves around, facing the guards who were suddenly surprised when they realized they were noticed. They were then met with powerful punches, knocking them a few yards back before coming to a stop. By then, they were already rendered out cold.

Once the guards were taken care of, Heihachi and Kazuya turned their attention back to each other. They glared at one another for another moment before they launched themselves forward at the same time, ready to fight some more.

Briefly, they found themselves on both offense and defense before Heihachi was able to get the upper hand by head-butting Kazuya in the forehead. The force made Kazuya rear back a few feet, giving Heihachi the chance to execute two quick double punches to Kazuya's chest. He then attempted to follow with a palm strike in the same spot, but Kazuya regained himself and managed to step out of the way.

Leaving his father open now, Kazuya took the opportunity to smash his fist into his stomach, causing Heihachi to keel over briefly. Kazuya then followed with a kick to his face before using his other leg to kick Heihachi up in the air.

Just as he was falling back to the ground, Heihachi managed to catch himself in time and was able to land safely on the ground with both feet. After straightening himself out, Kazuya attempted another kick to the face, but Heihachi quickly blocked the attack with his fist. He then followed with a short upper punch, which landed under Kazuya's chin. He then finished off with another uppercut with his other fist, knocking his son back.

A satisfied smirk came over Heihachi's face. _I believe I know who will be victorious in this battle…_

~~~

**Portals**

A sigh of relief escaped Wagner as he and Maxi finally reached the top of the hill where the portals were located. Throughout their walk to here, Wagner was sure that they were going to be attacked by someone from the opposing side, but it seemed as though they were too busy either fighting someone else or getting killed.

"I can take it from here," Maxi said to him as he pulled away. "Thanks for helping me up here."

"No problem," Wagner replied.

By then, Raiden approached them. "I'm glad to see you both okay," the Thunder God said. "Maxi, go through the silver portal, that will return you to Keisei. Wagner, go through the green portal at the end to return to Earth."

Maxi nodded to Raiden before walking over to the silver portal. After walking through the circled structure, he disappeared.

Raiden then noted that Wagner hadn't moved from his spot as he stared over at the green portal. "Something the matter?" he asked.

Wagner shook his head a little. "I'm okay… but I was wondering. Did Cammy happen to make it up here?"

Raiden frowned a bit. "As of now, I'm afraid not."

"I see… well, she'd kill me for doing this, but I don't want to leave until I find her."

"I understand," Raiden said. "Keep this in mind, however… with Jin Kazama missing, she may not want to leave Outworld right away until she finds him."

Wagner nodded to the Thunder God before he began his descent down the hill and back to the battle below.

~~~

**Battleground**

A loud, high-pitched scream was heard all around, creating a purple wave. Two guards and a tarkatan ended up getting caught in the wave and they suddenly found themselves floating forward, waving their arms around as they tried to get themselves out of the hold.

Just behind the wave, Sindel waited until all three were close enough. She then lifted a leg and performed a high spin kick, knocking all three back. At that point, another guard came from her left. Quickly, she whipped her long hair out, making it extend enough so that it wrapped around the guard. Then she quickly pulled away, causing the guard to spin in fast speed. She waited for a moment before he stopped spinning. Afterward, the Queen of Edenia kicked the guard in the head, sending him flying back.

After that was taken care of, she briefly looked over where her daughter Kitana and her friend Jade were fighting. Both were fighting off some guards and seemed to be doing well on their own, just as Sindel expected. Afterward, she continued with fighting as more guards approached her.

Meanwhile, Kitana and Jade were able to quickly take down their foes with ease, fighting with their respective weapons. At one point while Kitana was fighting, she noticed something pink from the corner from her eyes. Quickly, she turned her head to get a better look. Anger suddenly took over her as she suddenly came face to face with Mileena, who stood just a few yards away. Memories of her days as an assassin flooded through her mind, memories she no longer wanted to remember…

After a few moments of staring down at each other, the two immediately ran over to each other and quickly began their long-awaited fight.

Not too far, Jade happened to notice Tanya not too far from her. She was someone the green-clad woman recognized immediately. For years, she had been wanted for crimes against Edenia, which including letting in a former God and his forces, disguised as Outworld 'refugees' to wreck havoc on their realm.

In Edenia, Tanya was wanted dead or alive. Jade always believed that it would be too dangerous to keep Tanya alive.

Tanya had been fighting off another combatant when Jade decided to approach her. She ran until she was able to get close enough to swing her bojitsu weapon at her. However, Tanya was able to see the attack coming from the corner of her eye and she was able to quickly duck under the weapon.

Afterward, the yellow-clad woman stepped a couple of feet away before turning her attention to Jade. Tanya instantly recognized her as well as a good friend and protector of the royal Edenian family… and she knew exactly why she had approached her.

"So, you've come to kill me, haven't you?" Tanya sneered as she drew out her two kobu jutsu weapons, holding one in each hand. "I dare you to get rid of me."

Jade narrowed her green eyes at her. "With pleasure!"

From there, the two began their combat.

Nearby, Kitana and Mileen fought viciously against each other. At one point, Kitana jumped up and quickly perform three kicks in a row, which Mileena managed to block. Then, as Kitana fell back to the ground, Mileena jumped up before executing a diagnol kick. The kick managed to connect at Kitana's face, knocking her back a few feet.

Mileena landed back on the ground and she and Kitana charged after each other. Once they were in reach of one another, it was Kitana who immediately received the upper hand as she landed two punches to Mileena's face before lifting up a leg, hitting her foot just under Mileena's chin, causing her to rear back just a couple of feet from her.

Quickly, Mileena shook the pain away and as Kitana attempted another attack, the pink-clad woman crouched down low to the ground before executing a forward roll. The roll managed to hit Kitana's feet, causing the Princess to trip forward and she landed on the ground with a loud thud.

Mileena stood back up on her own feet before dusting herself off a little. "When I'm through with you, I will finally take my rightful place in the Edenian throne!"

Kitana managed to get herself back up. "Your wishful thinking will only lead to more disappointment than you already have endured since you were _created_ _!_ "

Quickly, Mileena drew out her two sais. With a loud growl, she ran back towards Kitana, who drew out her two fan blades and ran over to her as well.

~~~

**Nearby…**

Using a free hand, Smoke managed to grab a hold of the back of one guard's neck. He then lifted up his right knee, aligning it with his hip before smashing the guard's face into his knee. After being released, the guard screamed in sheer pain as he held on his nose, which was now bleeding profusely. Smoke watched him for a moment before kicking the guard away.

Nearby, Ashrah was busy fighting off two guards. Eventually, she was able to knock one of them out cold and was now able to concentrate on the other. As he approached her, Ashrah quickly spun herself, now surrounded by a few spinning white auras. By the time the guard saw this, he didn't have time to back away before being hit, the force knocking him back into the crowd around him.

Not too far, Matrik had just finished off fighting a guard when she noticed something about a few yards away. She turned her head to get a better look… and suddenly felt frozen upon seeing her former master Sektor standing there, staring right at her.

For a moment, the two cyborgs had a stare down from where they stood. Eventually, Sektor quickly shot out a missile from his chest, forcing Matrik to duck down. As the missile passed over her, she rolled herself forward so that she got herself closer to Sektor. After getting up, she covered the remaining space between them and began their own battle…

A few feet away, Sub-Zero found himself fighting a guard. They fought hand to hand for a moment before Sub-Zero's roundhouse kick rendered the guard unconscious. He then looked around, expecting another one of Shao Kahn's forces to come after him.

"Sub-Zero!" a deep, demonic-like voice suddenly said from behind him.

Immediately recognizing the voice, Sub-Zero turned around and soon came face to face with his own brother Noob Saibot.

Or rather yet, _was_ his brother.

"I've waited to confront you yet again," Noob said to the ice ninja. "This is the opportune moment, don't you think?"

"I won't ever understand what turned you into a wraith," Sub-Zero replied. "But it's no matter now. What matters now is putting you to rest once and for all."

"I dare you to try," Noob said as he got himself in a fighting stance.

Immediately, Sub-Zero raised one arm above him and an icy projectile shot up, maneuvering itself over Noob before dropping down. In retaliation, Noob quickly teleported away, bringing himself closer to Sub-Zero. He then executed one punch, following it with a double kick, all in which Sub-Zero managed to block.

After the kicks, Sub-Zero managed to find an opening and struck Noob with two palm strikes. He then attempted a forward kick before Noob teleported himself behind him. Sub-Zero tried to search for the wraith, but soon realized where he was upon feeling a pair of arms wrap around his waist before behind lifted from the ground as Noob performed a suplex. Soon, Sub-Zero made a painful contact to the floor on his back. From there, Noob released his hold on him and straightened himself back up.

Soon, Sub-Zero slowly rolled back before getting on his feet. He and Noob ran to each other again to continue their fight…

~~~

**Cathedral**

A loud crash was heard as one of the glass cathedral windows shattered into countless pieces. The cause was from a fireball projectile which came from a current battle between Evil Ryu and Devil Jin.

As the fight continued, Devil Jin attempted to knee his opponent in the stomach, but Evil Ryu managed to catch the maneuver with a single hand. He then attempted to elbow the winged demon in the face, but Devil Jin bend himself back, letting the elbow pass him.

Once Evil Ryu's elbow was away from him, Devil Jin's arms rapidly filled with red electricity before he executed two punches, both which Evil Ryu blocked. Devil Jin then delivered an axe kick, but Evil Ryu step sideways, avoiding the attack. He then crouched himself down low with a single fist ready to strike.

" _Shoryuken!_ " he yelled as he leapt up. He managed to catch Devil Jin under his chin and the two of them ended up flying up in the air.

Evil Ryu landed safely on the ground. He expected Devil Jin to come crashing down, but after a bit of a delay, he eventually looked up…and found him still in the air, flapping his black, feathered wings.

A sadistic smirk appear on Devil Jin's face as a red glow developed on his forehead. Then, unexpectedly, a red laser shot out from it. Evil Ryu found himself rolling out of the way and he barely did as the laser burnt a lined-hole in one of his pant legs.

After recovering, Evil Ryu quickly jumped up so that he was at the same height as Devil Jin and quickly shot out two blue projectiles. Devil Jin managed to dodge out of the way before swooping over to Evil Ryu. He delivered a few punches, which Evil Ryu managed to dodge.

Devil Jin then attempted a kick, but Evil Ryu was able to catch his ankle. Without hesitating, the Ansatsuken demon spun the winged demon once before letting him go, forcing Devil Jin to fly diagonally downward before crashing into one of the many statues in the room. The force of the crash shattered the statue into pieces.

Evil Ryu landed back on the ground. As Devil Jin stood himself back up, Evil Ryu's eyes glowed a blood red as a sadistic grin came over his face.

So far, to him, this was a worthy battle. In the end, however, Evil Ryu knew that he would emerge victorious, which came with a prize… Devil Jin's power.

Meanwhile, Devil Jin's bright eyes glowed as a thought came to him. _Soon… your soul shall be mine for the taking!_

The two then ran towards each other and proceeded with their battle…

~~~

**Near The Main Palace**

" _Cannon spike!_ " Cammy called out as she spun her body forward and low to the ground, aiming her feet at Viper's ankles.

When it seemed that Cammy was going to get the hit, Viper quickly jumped over her. Cammy used her feet to stop herself before getting back up. By then, Viper was running over to her, forced to brace herself for more attacks.

Just a few feet away, Viper jumped forward hands first and spun herself around, a backwards version of the _cannon spike_ , only a few feet higher in the air. Quickly, Cammy stepped out of the way and quickly performing an axe kick to Viper's back. A small surprise-like cry escaped Viper's throat as he was slammed down to the ground.

Viper gave herself a moment to recover from the attack before rolling on her back and attempted to trip Cammy with her foot. Cammy quickly backed away before being hit. Afterwards, Viper rolled back before getting back up.

The two blondes ran towards each other and continued their hand-to-hand fight. It didn't take long before Cammy got herself on complete offense, delivering two jump kicks, forcing Viper to move away. After landing, Cammy then attempted a round house kick, but Viper managed to grab her leg and spun her around.

Before Cammy was able to catch herself however, Viper managed to land a few punches on Cammy's face and stomach before landing a kick to her chest, the force sending Cammy flying back a few feet before sliding on her back in the ground.

"Owe…" Cammy uttered as she found herself coughing a bit. As she attempted to recover from the blow, she realized that she was right next to the hill which lead to the portals.

Viper approached Cammy and stopped just a couple of feet away. "It's time to die, _Killer Bee_ _!_ "

Cammy's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing a 'nickname' she hasn't heard in a long time. _How does she know?_ she thought.

She then looked up into Viper's blue eyes… and suddenly made a connection.

"Lisa Wagner?"

Viper seemed to hesitate for a moment upon hearing her true name. She then seemed to shake the thought out of her mind as an anger look appeared over her face.

"That is not my name!"

Suddenly, someone came up to Viper from behind and got on her shoulders with her hands. Just before a large purple energy took her Viper's head, Cammy instantly recognized Rose.

"What the…" she tried to say. As the purple energy glowed, Cammy was forced to shield her eyes with her arms and she could hear Viper's screams.

 _She's not killing her is she?_ she thought.

Soon, the purple energy disappeared and the screams ceased. Rose released her hold on Viper, who soon lost consciousness. Rose managed to catch the young woman before she was to land on the dirt ground.

Cammy blinked for a moment, feeling a bit confused as to what just happened…then, she remembered some of her old dreams and realized what she just saw was exactly from her dreams.

She looked up at Rose. "… I think I remember something… you were the one who did this to me as well…"

A frown came over Rose's face as she set Viper down. "I never wanted you to find out, Cammy… but yes, this is how I was able to free you from Bison's control over you." She then looked down at Viper. "When Lisa wakes up from her sleep, she will be herself once more… and like you, she won't remember ever being Viper."

"Cammy!" a male voice suddenly called out.

Cammy turned her head and found herself sighing of relief as she spotted Wagner and Lita running over to her. Slowly, she stood herself up and ran the rest of the way towards them.

"Thank goodness, you're okay," Lita said to her. "Wagner and I found each other just a few minutes ago and we went looking for you."

"Where's McCoy?" Cammy asked.

Wagner shook his head. "I'm sorry Cammy…"

Sadness came over her upon hearing this. "Wolfman's gone too…"

"It's just us now," Lita said.

As they continued talking, Wagner managed to turn his head and noticed Rose kneeling over the one person he never expected to see…

Quietly, Wagner walked over before kneeling down to Lisa, who was in a deep sleep. Even with her right in front of him, he still couldn't believe that she was right here. He was already feeling relief and other emotions building within himself.

Rose looked up at him. "She'll be just as she was before Shadaloo took her," she assured him.

Wagner could only nod as he took his sister in his arms before standing up. He realized that she had lost ten years of her life and knew that much healing was needed for quite some time for her.

 _You're okay now Lisa…_ he thought.

Slowly, Cammy approached Wagner. "I know you want me to go with you back to Earth," she said. "But don't worry about me… I don't want to leave until I find Jin. You get Lisa out of here."

Wagner turned his head to her. "I just got my sister back… so you make sure you come back…" A smirk came over his face. "Sis."

Cammy smirked as well. "Catch you later, bro."

Wagner nodded before looking over at Rose. "I don't know how I can repay you…"

"Don't worry," Rose replied. "Just get back to Earth."

"I will," he said before he began making his way up the hill with Lisa in his arms.

Lita walked over to Cammy. "I'll help you… there's no way I'm leaving without you either."

"Thank you," Cammy replied.

"Be careful," Rose said to them. "If things start to get unstable… please leave this place."

The two women nodded to the soul psychic before departing back into the battle.

~~~

**On the Other Side Of the Battle…**

Sektor and Matrik continued with her battle, the two mainly fighting hand to hand. At one point, they stood in their stances a few feet away from one another as they waited for the other to make the next move.

"It ends here Matrik!" Sektor called out. "Return to the Tekunin clan or face death!"

"I'd rather die before I join with you again!" Matrik shouted before extending her right arm out. A compartment in her palm opened up before five small bombs shot out towards Sektor. In retaliation, Sektor shot out yet another missile from his chest, which shot towards the bombs before they all exploded.

Matrik ran over to Sektor and the two exchanged maneuvers yet again. At one point, Sektor managed to punch her in the face, causing her to stagger back a couple of feet. He then tried to attack again, but Matrik quickly performed a round house with the running saw extended out from the bottom of her foot, forcing Sektor to jump away before being hit.

The two then proceeded with more hand-to-hand attacks before Matrik was able to receive the upper hand with two palm strikes to Sektor's chest. She then performed another roundhouse which Sektor backed away from before leaning herself forward to punch him in the chest.

However, Sektor managed to block her punch with his hand. And before Matrik was able to pull back, he used his free hand to rip some wires apart.

Suddenly feeling an out-of-control surge, Matrik reared herself back as sparks appeared around her damaged arm.

"You… cheap… bastard!" she said in between circuits.

Taking the opportunity, Sektor jumped over to her and delivered a palm strike to her face before following with an elbow in the same spot. As she staggered back again, he took the opportunity to rip apart the wires on her torso.

As Matrik's cyborg form shook with sparks all around her, Sektor watched from a few feet away. "You're too easy to beat. Perhaps when you return to base, I'll make you stronger than you could ever imagine."

Once he finished his sentence, Matrik fell back to the floor as black smoke sizzled from her. Sektor then took out one of his red pulse blades and walked over to Matrik, who was only able to mover her fingers.

"Now to finish you off!" Sektor yelled out.

Before he was able to strike down, he was suddenly tackled to the ground. Moments later, Sektor was able to kick the attacker off his back, sending him flying a couple of feet away. By then, Sektor was able to recognize the attacker.

"I see you came to help your friend, Smoke," he said as he got back on his feet.

Smoke stood himself up and glared at the red cyborg. "The way you took down Matrik… you don't deserve to be Tekunin's leader."

Sektor took out his other pulse blade and got into a stance, ready to fight Smoke. "Enough! I will make sure you return to Noob Saibot as he wishes."

"Save yourself the trouble," Smoke said. "Just recently, a part of my memory data was uploaded… from when I was being controlled by Noob. I have information you might want to hear… so now that leaves you with a choice…"

Sektor stood there for a moment, trying to decide on what to do next. However, moments later, Smoke made the decision for him.

"Noob only used you for his own gains," the gray cyborg revealed. "Once he was done building his cyborg army, he was going to reprogram you so that you serve him as well."

For some reason, Sektor wasn't surprise… perhaps because he had expected something like this from Noob since the beginning of their 'alliance.'

Slowly, Sektor placed his pulse blades away. "Then there's no longer a purpose to stay here. Very well then."

With that, the red cyborg teleported away, leaving Smoke to tend to Matrik, who was now completely out.

~~~

**Not Too Far…**

With their weapons, Jade and Tanya continued with exchanging maneuvers. They would normally switch between offense and defense during their fight.

At one point, Tanya spun her elbow blades rapidly as Jade was forced to jump back. With the distance between them, Jade took out her boomerang and threw it at Tanya's head. However, the yellow-clad woman ducked under it before being attacked and the boomerang smacked into a nearby tree instead.

Afterwards, Tanya extended her arms out and shot out a fireball. Jade quickly jumped over it and the two fought weapon-to-weapon again. Jade soon got the upper hand and spun her bojitsu around, at one point hitting Tanya in the stomach, forcing her to keel over. Jade then tried to bash her in the head, but Tanya managed to move out the way beforehand.

Soon, Tanya got back closer to the green-clad woman and delivered a kick to her stomach, causing Jade to stumble back. As Tanya attempted to attack again, Jade lifted up a leg and glided forward, leaving behind green shadows. She managed to land her foot at Tanya's head, the force causing her to spin in the air before landing hard on the ground.

Jade looked at Tanya for a moment and a smirk came over her face as she realized she didn't move.

"Seems I knocked you out cold," she said as she approached her. "It's time to finally be rid of you…"

Before she was able to do anything, however, three tarkatans suddenly surrounded her. Jade looked at them for a moment, frustrated that this had to happen now of all times. Nevertheless, she lifted her bojitsu in front of her and began attacking the tarkatans.

As Jade was busy fighting the mutants, Tanya, who was actually faking being knocked out, lifted her head. She felt a headache come to her from the kick, but she didn't care right now… what mattered was that she was alive and the tarkatans practically saved her from death.

"Sorry my dear," Tanya said. "It's not my time to die just yet."

With that, she slowly stood up before making her escape…

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

_The battle continues on… I can feel the new souls present here…_

Thoughts came to Shao Kahn as he rested on his throne. In a way, he wished that he was actually there in the battleground watching everything unfold…however, it wasn't his place to do so.

Then again, he was indeed looking forward to the aftermath of the onslaught…because by then, his army would be completely built and he would then proceed with his plans to dominate the realms once more as he did in the past.

_Soon, the universe shall be mine._

He was then suddenly brought out of his thoughts as the door to the throne room suddenly swung open with force. The Emperor stood up, grabbing his hammer in the process.

"What the hell is going on?!" he yelled out.

However, the two guards who were originally guarding the doors were thrown into the room, crashing into the walls before falling to the floor. Shao Kahn then noticed their battered, bloody forms and realized that they were dead.

Then, footsteps were heard and Shao Kahn noted a shadow on a wall. He stood where he was and soon the person entered the room… a person dressed in dark blue armor.

"Who are you?" Shao Kahn asked.

Quietly, the figure walked towards him. Shao Kahn then noticed his weapon…he knew it was Soul Edge, having heard the legends about it for many years. The sword consisted with a realistic-looking eye, which seemed to stare right at him.

 _Why is that eye familiar?_ he suddenly asked himself.

Moments later, he came to a realization… the eye looked just like the eye on _Chishio No Me!_

_That's why the medallion is so powerful!_

"So… you're the power behind _Chishio No Me_ ," Shao Kahn said. "And you must be Nightmare… the wielder of the infamous Soul Edge." He then lifted up his hammer. "It no longer matters, however… that great power of yours shall be mine to take."

Nightmare raised Soul Edge a bit with a single hand. "This place… shall be you're grave!"

Letting out battle cries, the two charged towards each other, intending on kill the other and taking their power for themselves.


	72. Chapter Seventy-One

**Battleground**

Performing a somersault kick, Lei Wulong was able to knock away a guard that had just attempted to attack him. After landing, he found two other guards surrounding him. He stood in his place before the three guards let out their battle cries and ran after him.

 _Let's get started,_ Lei thought to himself.

As soon as the first guard reached him, Lei moved himself sideways so that the guard ended up running passed him. Afterward, Lei moved behind him, lifted up one leg, and kicked down, his heel hitting the back of the guard's neck. The guard let out a small cry as he was knocked face first into the ground.

A second guard soon approached him and threw punches at him from different directions. Lei was able to avoid the attacks before finding an opening, throwing two punches to the guard's face before kicking upward, sending the guard flying in the air.

Lei was able to hear the running footsteps of the third guard behind him. Quickly, he turned to face him and saw the guard just a few feet away with his kwan do out in front of him. The guard swung his bladed staff at Lei's head, but the Interpol cop crouched down and was able to avoid the attack. In the meantime, he performed, a sweep kick, knocking the guard completely off his feet. Just before the guard landed, Lei quickly stood himself up and delivered a forward kick, sending the guard spinning and flying back away from him before crashing down on the dirt.

"That's gonna leave a mark," Lei said about the guard.

Suddenly, he felt a hard kick to his back, sending him stumbling forward before falling face first. Lei turned himself on his back and saw another guard standing over him with two long swords, one in each hand.

Lei attempted to get out of the way, but the guard ended up kicking him hard in the chest, sending him crashing back and losing some air from his lungs. As he tried to recover from the blow, he saw the two swords above him and his eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen…

" _Spinning Bird Kick!_ " he heard a familiar female voice shout out nearby.

A second later, a foot met the side of the guard's head, knocking him away from Lei and the attacker, the blow rendering him unconscious. Lei was able to sit himself up as he watched Chun Li get herself in a hand stand after performing her upside-down spin kick before flipping back, returning to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Chun Li asked Lei just as he got back on his feet as well.

Lei was able to finally catch his breath as Chun Li ran over to him. "Yeah I'm fine." He then found himself smiling a little. "I'm more glad that you're okay."

"So far," Chun Li said with a small sigh.

Lei then noticed her looking passed his shoulder, a concerned look suddenly coming over her face. The older man turned his head to where she was looking.

Not too far from them, he saw their fellow allies Sakura and Asuka trying to fight off some guards. Despite being strong fighters, the two seemed to struggle against their enemies a bit, even after Sakura shot out a projectile at the guard she was fighting.

Lei was about to say something to Chun Li, but she was already beginning to run to the scene in front of them. Knowing what she was about to do, Lei followed to help her out.

Soon, Chun Li and Lei reached the two guards fighting Asuka and Sakura. Chun Li rapidly kicked at one guard with a single leg before kicking him upward while Lei landed a few palm strikes at the other guard before delivering a roundhouse kick, rendering him out cold.

Asuka and Sakura seemed to sigh with relief after watching the two fight off their enemies. "You didn't have to… but thanks," said Asuka.

"It's no problem," replied Chun Li. "But listen… I know you two want to help out, but I honestly think you should try to make an escape out of here. You have your whole lives ahead of you."

"She's right," Lei agreed with a small nod. A frown came over his face as he remembered seeing a few girls about their age lying dead on the battleground not too long ago. It made him feel grim knowing that their possibly-promising lives were suddenly taken away all because they either wanted to prove themselves or help out their allies.

Some determination came over Sakura's face. "I want to stay and help," she said.

"It's for the best Sakura," said Asuka. She had given it some thought and realized that it was indeed best to get out of Outworld while they can. For Asuka, she had the feeling that if she stayed any longer, then she wouldn't make it out of here alive.

After all, she was all her father had now since her mother's death.

For a moment, Sakura stayed silent, unsure of what to do. Eventually, she slowly nodded, finally agreeing with Chun Li's suggestion.

Asuka briefly rested her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

Both Chun Li and Lei stood where they were as they briefly watched Asuka and Sakura make their way over towards the portals.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

A loud _clang!_ was heard all around the throne room as the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn and the Azure Knight Nightmare continued with their battle. Despite Soul Edge being such a large and powerful weapon, Shao Kahn's war hammer was able to actually withstand it's attacks.

At one point, Shao Kahn jumped forward with one knee out. In high speed, he darted towards Nightmare as green shadows trailed behind him. Before he was able to hit him, Nightmare quickly moved himself out of the way. Instead, the Emperor ended up smashing into one of the many statues in the room, shattering it into countless pieces.

This gave Nightmare the opportunity to swing his sword at Shao Kahn, flat side first. The Emperor was able to see the move coming and quickly ducked under the sword. Just as he began to face the Azure Knight, Nightmare spun a full circle, collecting lightning energy, which surrounded the sword. He then quickly jabbed the sword forward, sending lightning bolts out. They managed to hit Shao Kahn, sending him flying back before crashing into the floor.

Shao Kahn quickly got himself back up. "You will never win!" he called out before running towards Nightmare to continue their battle.

They exchanged weapon maneuvers for a moment before Shao Kahn managed to get a hit in on top of Nightmare's head. Despite wearing a helmet, Nightmare stumbled back a bit from the hit before Shao Kahn glided forward, ramming his shoulder into his opponent, which sent him stumbling away a few feet.

After recovering from the blow, Nightmare stood his ground as Shao Kahn attempted to attack him again. The Azure Knight was forced to defend himself with his sword for another moment as Shao Kahn swung his hammer wildly at him.

When an opening finally came, Nightmare jabbed his sword forward. Shao Kahn moved himself to avoid the attack, but the infamous blade managed to catch him on his spiked shoulder pad. Upon looking at the pad, he was surprised to see that all three spikes were cut off as though they were nothing but flowers.

Then, Nightmare twirled his sword about his head before swinging it down at Shao Kahn's head. The Emperor jumped out of the way in time, forcing the sword to crash into the floor instead, leaving a large mark behind.

Shao Kahn managed to get to Nightmare's side and swung his hammer, finally catching him in his abdomen. He then followed with an elbow to the face before ending the string of attacks with a kick to his side. Nightmare staggered a bit after the attack, but quickly regained his composure.

The Emperor ran over to Nightmare again and when he was close enough, Nightmare quickly reached out his grotesque hand at the Shao Kahn's throat before lifting him up to the ground. His strong grip was able to cut out some of Shao Kahn's oxygen, forcing him to struggle against his opponent. A sudden energy charge from the hand surged into his muscular form before Nightmare jumped up. As he landed back on the ground, he smashed him into the ground, causing a dent to appear on the throne room floor.

Nightmare straightened himself back up after the attack and let out a maniacal laugh. "I can see your madness!" he yelled out. "Indeed you shall be the perfect body host, just as the medallion promised!"

By the end of his sentence, Shao Kahn had already sat himself up. After hearing those words, he realized _Chishio No Me's_ true purpose… it served as a window for Soul Edge in order to find a suitable host body when it's current one was no longer needed.

Since Shao Kahn had the medallion before giving it to Ivy last night, so it explained why Nightmare was after him instead of her… because Nightmare believed _he_ had the medallion.

Soon, Shao Kahn was back on his feet, his hammer out and ready for more. He then let out a battle roar before charging towards Nightmare to continue their battle. For a while, they weapons clashed against one another, the sound of steel against steel echoing throughout the throne room.

Soon, Shao Kahn was able to get the upper hand once again. He jumped over a low sweep from Nightmare and raised his hammer above his head. As he descended back towards his opponent, he attempted to swing his hammer down. However, Nightmare was able to jump out of the way before receiving the blow.

Shao Kahn landed on the ground and turned his attention back to Nightmare. He didn't realize how close he was to him until he was met with two head butts to his forehead, causing the Emperor to stagger back from the attack.

Quickly, Shao Kahn shot out a green projectile, which Nightmare moved away from before being hit. As he avoided the projectile, Nightmare swung his sword with enough power to send an invisible wave out. The wave hit Shao Kahn, sending him flying back a few yards.

A thought came to Nightmare as he waited for Shao Kahn to get back up… he's fought countless others before this fight and many of them have either died or escaped his grasps before he was able to take their souls… and normally, this all would've happened by now.

At this point in their battle, Nightmare began to realize that Shao Kahn may be his biggest challenge yet…

~~~

**Battleground**

Fighting near a lake, Kitana and Mileena exchanged maneuvers with their respective weapons. Both were determined to win the battle as they fought viciously against one another.

At one point, Mileena backed up a bit and lifted her sais in front of her. Two pink projectiles in the shape of her weapons shot out towards Kitana, who used her fans to knock them away from her. Afterwards, Kitana surrounded herself with a blue aura as she teleported behind Mileena, leaving her confused for a moment before being kicked from behind.

Mileena was able to keep her composure even after the kick. Quickly, she turned her attention back to Kitana, let out a loud growl before charging after the Princess. Before she was able to reach her however, Kitana managed to jump up, intending on landing on her.

However, the pink-clad woman quickly sunk herself through the floor before Kitana landed. The Princess tried to pinpoint Mileena's location, but before she could, Mileena appeared from above behind her and was able to perform a diagonal kick to the back of her head. Kitana let out a cry as she slammed face first into the dirt.

As the Princess of Edenia slowly got herself back up, Mileena let out a sadistic laugh. "Face it Kitana! My win in this battle is inevitable! Soon you will once again serve our father!"

Soon, Kitana was able to get herself back up. "I'd rather die before I ever serve _him_ again! And he is _not_ my father, not by a long shot!"

"If that is your wish, then so be it!"

With battle cries, the two women charged over to each other. Once they reached one another, they weapons clashed and for some time, the two fought like this. Eventually, their weapons were knocked out of their grips, forcing them to fight hand to hand.

They exchanged various punches and kicks for a short while before Mileena was able to get the upper hand by performing a high spin kick to Kitana's face, forcing her to spin a couple of times. This gave Mileena the chance to strike a palm to her stomach, follow it with a kick to her shin before delivering an uppercut, sending her flying a few feet up in the air.

Before Kitana was able to land, Mileena was able to jump up and grab her by the neck with her legs. Taking Kitana with her, Mileena performed a backward somersault, throwing Kitana halfway through, sending her crashing to the ground.

However, after landing, Kitana realized that she was now in reach of one of her fan blades. Before Mileena noticed, she quickly grabbed the fan by the hilt before sitting up on her knees.

As Mileena ran back after her, Kitana spun her fan rapidly in front of her, sending invisible waves which managed to catch Mileena. Before she knew it, Mileena was a foot in the air and being dragged towards the woman she once called her sister.

Quickly, Kitana stood herself up and kicked Mileena back when she was close enough to reach, sending her crashing on her back. Mileena gave herself a moment to recover before rolling back and standing herself up.

"You'll pay with your life soon enough, bitch!" Mileena yelled out before running towards Kitana again.

Between her last move and now, Kitana took the time to charge up some energy power by collecting some aura around her. She stood where she was as she waited Mileena to come closer to her.

Soon, the opportunity came and Kitana landed a powerful kick to Mileena's abdomen. The force of the kick sent Mileena flying back far enough to where she would end up splashing down into the lake they were fighting near. Her screams were heard all around until a loud splash from the water was heard in the distance.

Finally having the time to breathe, Kitana wondered if her battle with Mileena would continue once she emerged from the water. She wanted her to be dead, but knew that wouldn't be the case… at least not like this.

"Kitana!" she suddenly heard someone call out. The Princess blinked a couple of times, getting out of her thoughts, before turning around to see Jade and Sindel coming over to her.

"There you are!" exclaimed Jade.

"And at a good time too," said Sindel. "At this point, I think we should take our leave and return to Edenia. It wouldn't be long before we become more weary than we already are."

A small sigh escaped Kitana's lips as she briefly turned back towards the lake. Thoughts of Siegfried came to her for a moment as she remembered her encounter with him last night. She had hoped to speak to him before departing back to her home world, but at this point, it wasn't going to happen. Then, a thought came to her…

_Perhaps we weren't meant to be…_

Soon, Kitana turned back to her mother and best friend. "Okay… let's go home."

Together, the three of them began heading to the portals.

~~~

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

Clashing swords were heard all around as the battle between Kenshi and Shang Tsung continued. Neither one of them were sure how long their battle had been going on, but neither of them cared. All they cared about was finally eliminating the other. Despite the different cuts and minor gashes they received from the other's sword, they were still able to hold their own.

At one point, Kenshi managed to kick Shang Tsung with enough force for him to lose grip on his sword. The sorcerer attempted to retrieve his sword, but he was forced to move away as Kenshi swung his weapon wildly at him. After stepping aside, Shang Tsung performed a roundhouse and his foot hit Kenshi's wrist, forcing him to also lose grip of his sword. Now the two found themselves fighting hand to hand.

For a while, the two found themselves mostly on either offense or defense as they both tried to overtake the other. Soon enough, Kenshi was able to get the upper hand by landing a punch to the sorcerer's face, following with an elbow to the same place before kneeing him in the stomach.

Shang Tsung stumbled a bit and he tried to recover from the blows, but he soon quickly found himself blocking Kenshi's attacks once again, eventually being met with three triple palm strikes. The sorcerer jumped back a bit, shaking off the pain that was developing on his face.

"Now it's my turn," he whispered.

The sorcerer ran towards the swordsman, but before Kenshi was able to get close enough to land another strike, Shang Tsung disappeared and reappeared behind him, still running. Then, he crouched himself low to the ground and slid forward with his left foot out first. To his satisfaction, Kenshi wasn't able to detect this in time and soon found himself crashing to the floor.

Shang Tsung stood himself up afterwards and it wasn't long before Kenshi was up as well. Soon, the two ran towards each other again and executed their moves at each other yet again. At one point, Kenshi attempted a double back kick, but Shang Tsung was able to avoid the attack by stepping sideways. Finding an opening then, the sorcerer managed to land a punch to Kenshi's face, causing him to stagger sideways a bit.

Having another opportunity, Shang Tsung raised a hand. Using his sorcery, he was able to suck some energy right out of Kenshi, a hush whisper being heard around the room as a green energy left Kenshi and went into Shang Tsung, giving him more energy.

Kenshi stumbled a bit, suddenly feeling dizzy after losing some energy. "What the…" he uttered.

Hearing this, Shang Tsung replied. "Don't worry yourself just yet. I merely took some of your energy, weakening you and strengthening my own powers. Soon enough, however, you soul will belong to me."

Mustering up whatever strength he had left, Kenshi ran back towards the sorcerer and attempted to swing a punch at him. However, Shang Tsung was able to dodge the maneuver easily before executing an uppercut, sending Kenshi flying upward. As he descended back down, Shang Tsung delivered a kick, sending him flying another few feet back.

After Kenshi landed back on the floor, Shang Tsung jumped up high in the air, moving himself so that he was directly above the swordsman. Then, he dropped down and landed on Kenshi's stomach with enough force to send the swordsman's arms and legs flying up and a painful shout escaped him.

Knowing that he had the complete upper hand in the battle now, Shang Tsung grinned. It was time to end this.

"Now," he said as he raised a single hand above him. "Your soul is mine!"

…Meanwhile, a small battle was going on just outside of the throne room of the palace. The guards who were guarding the door attempted to take down both Ermac and Alex, who were both trying to escape the palace. The two fought the guards until they were all rendered unconscious.

After taking a guard down, Alex happened to look into the throne room and she suddenly felt frozen upon the sight before her. She saw Kenshi on the floor, weakened from the fight, and Shang Tsung standing on top of him with his hand raised above him. Shang Tsung seemed to chant something in a different language… and soon a green mist began emerging from him.

Then, without thinking, she ran into the throne room, knowing that something had to be done before Shang Tsung consumed Kenshi's soul.

It didn't take long before Alex reached them and she attempted a flying kick. Unknown to him, Shang Tsung had already noted her presence in the room and waited until she was close enough to attack. Then, he quickly grabbed her stretched out leg with both hands and swung her around before letting go. Her screams were heard until she crashed into a wall with enough force to render her out cold before falling face first onto the floor.

Anger slowly took over Kenshi as he realized what just happened and he attempted to sit himself up… however, at the moment, he didn't have the strength to do so.

Shang Tsung's attention was now focused on Alex. "I know you're feisty for me my dear, but you're going to have to wait your turn."

Suddenly, a projectile hit him from behind him, causing the sorcerer to stumble forward. Believing Kenshi just attacked him, Shang Tsung turned around to face him… only for him to come face to face with Ermac, who walked forward as a green aura surrounded his body.

Angry now, Shang Tsung got into a fighting stance, welcoming the enigma to fight him. "You just made a big mistake."

Ermac narrowed his glowing green eyes at him. "You will soon be eradicated, sorcerer."

"I'd like to see you try, Enigma."

Soon, the two began their battle.

~~~

**Outside Shao Kahn's Fortress**

The battle between Akuma and Scorpion continued on. Time had passed since they began… and it seemed as though they were still quite even.

After being knocked back by a kick, Akuma quickly teleported towards Scorpion and was able to land two punches to his face before delivering a kick to his stomach, causing the spectre to stumble back a couple of feet.

Akuma then attempted to cover the distance between them, but Scorpion was ready by then. He quickly performed a flip kick, his feet covered in flames and leaving a trail behind. The spectre managed to knock the demon back a couple of yards away, leaving a big space between them.

Sitting up after the attack, Akuma shot out two projectiles at Scorpion, who jumped over them once they were close enough to him. By then, Akuma was back on his feet and the two charged towards each other again.

Once they reached each other, the two briefly exchanged moves before Scorpion landed a punch to Akuma's face. Given the chance now, Scorpion kicked the demon upward before shooting his spear out, which caught him in the shoulder.

"Come here!" Scorpion yelled out before pull him down towards him. Once Akuma was close enough, Scorpion kicked him away again.

After landing, Akuma immediately got himself back up and teleported towards Scorpion again, landing a hammer punch on Scorpion which was powerful enough to knock him back.

Akuma then waited for Scorpion to get himself back up. Suddenly, a projectile from behind hit his back, causing the demon to stumble back a bit. After regaining himself, Akuma turned his attention to the new attacker… a man with chalky white skin.

Akuma had no clue as to who this was… but he was all too familiar to Scorpion.

"Quan Chi!" he yelled out in anger.

A sadistic grin came over Quan Chi's face. "Originally, I was on my way to this fortress for some… personal business. However, I couldn't help but notice your fight with your little pal here."

None of those words phased Scorpion. Thoughts of what Quan Chi had done to his family and clan members consumed his mind. Soon, he teleported towards Quan Chi and tackled him to the ground, beginning their yet another battle of their own.

Akuma folded his arms after witnessing this. "Pathetic."

That's when he noted a very dark energy that seemed to be coming from within the fortress nearby. He knew it had to belong to someone… someone who was quite powerful.

"Perhaps this may be more worth it," he said to himself.

Leaving Scorpion to fight Quan Chi, Akuma began heading towards the fortress…

~~~

**Portals**

After fighting their way to the top of the hill, Kitana, Jade, and Sindel finally reached the portals. Up there, they were met by Raiden, who was guarding the portals.

"Your portal is the light blue one," Raiden mentioned to them. He then smirked to them. "Thank you for helping us with our mission." His smirked then turned into a grin. "And I'll remember to summon you when you are needed again."

Sindel smirk. "I hope so Raiden."

"Let's head back," suggested Jade.

Raiden stood where he was as he watched the three Edenians enter the portal which lead back to their home realm.

 _Now we just have some of our chosen ones from Earthrealm who need to be returned to their homes,_ the Thunder God thought.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Thinking that another one of Shao Kahn's minions was coming, Raiden whirled around to face him, getting ready to fight yet again. However, he soon found himself sighing a bit of relief as he saw Rose approaching him.

"Raiden!" Rose exclaimed. "I just had a premonition and I had to tell you before it was too late!"

Raiden looked at her with a bit of concern. "Now?"

Rose nodded frantically. "It's a strong one… it was some green monster flying above, and he was shooting a laser-like proj-"

Rose suddenly cut her sentence as she looked up at the sky and a horrified look came over to her. Realizing that her premonition was now coming true, Raiden turned to where she was looking and saw the 'green monster' in the sky… the monster he instantly recognized.

"Ogre…" he uttered.

It was then that Ogre indeed shot out a laser-like projectile. At first, Raiden and Rose thought he was shooting at them… but the closer it came, the more they realized that they were heading straight towards the portals!

"NO!" Raiden yelled out as he shot lightning bolts at Ogre. However, the laser proved too powerful as shot through over half the portals present and even going passed the activator, destroying it.

With the activator now destroyed, the remaining portals began to shut down. Quickly, Raiden teleported to the portal to Earthrealm and, using his powers, managed to keep it open just before shutting down.

By then, Ogre had landed on the ground, standing a few yards away. Rose ran over to Raiden. "Now what?" she asked.

Raiden looked at her with concern on his face. "I used some of my power to keep this portal open… but it won't last long…"

In desperation, Raiden placed a hand over Rose's forehead. She wasn't sure what he was doing until she felt a small power surge go through her body. The surge was brief and once it ceased, Raiden moved his hand away.

"I have given you some of that power, but it's limited. Only use it when the portal weakens." Raiden then kissed Rose's forehead. "Protect the portal at all costs!"

It was only after Raiden teleported towards Ogre and began fighting him that Rose realized what could happen…

" **NO!** " Rose yelled out… but they soon began fighting airborne with Raiden leading Ogre away from the hill… and Rose could only watch until they were out of view…

…Raiden and Ogre eventually found themselves in the forest area, away from the battle near the main palace… but more importantly, away from the portals.

The two deities exchanged moves for a moment in rapid speed. Eventually, Ogre managed to fly up above Raiden and shoot multiple projectiles, forcing the Thunder God to dodge out of the way. Afterward, Ogre flew back down and managed to get himself close enough so that he kicked Raiden in the face, sending him flying back before crashing into a tree.

Raiden managed to get himself back up before Ogre attacked him with a powerful punch. The Thunder God teleported out of the way and the Fighting God hit the tree with enough force to shatter it. Raiden managed to get himself behind Ogre before kicking him back.

Ogre stumbled a bit before turning his attention back to Raiden. As he quickly approached him, they exchanged more moves once again until Raiden landed a double punch to his chest before jumping up and kicking Ogre in the face, causing the green monster to stagger back two feet.

After recovering, Ogre was forced to move out of the way from Raiden's lightning projectile. Leaving the God of Thunder open, Ogre executed three palm strikes, knocking Raiden back a few yards.

Raiden gritted his teeth as he began to feel pain within his body for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Damn him… he can't live…" he uttered.

Soon, Raiden managed to stand himself up. Then, to his surprise, Ogre shot out a long, red projectile surrounded by lightning. In retaliation, Raiden blocked with his own long, white projectile, also surrounded by lightening.

For a while, the two of them tried to dominate the other with their powers. Slowly, however, Raiden was feeling Ogre's power slowly taking over.

"I… cannot… let you… live!" Raiden yelled out.

He still felt some energy left with him… and used that last bit of power with him, letting out a howling scream in the process.

Then, a white light surrounded them…

…Back at the portals, Rose just fought off the first guard who came up the hill in an attempt to destroy the Earthrealm portal. As she knocked him out cold, she suddenly heard a loud explosion behind her. She turned around and saw a fireball rising from the forest and black smoke rising above that fire…

It was no guess as to where the explosion came from… it was from Raiden's fight with Ogre…

He had sacrificed himself in order to destroy Ogre.

"No… why?" Rose whispered as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

Despite their dispute in the beginning, Rose was becoming fond of Raiden towards the end of their time together here. As she thought of her memories with him, she suddenly felt saddened and heartbroken…she never got to tell him how she truly felt about him…

Rose let herself shed a couple of tears before slowly regaining herself. She knew she had to be strong right now. She had a duty to attend to and that was to protect the Earthrealm portal at all cost, just as Raiden had wanted.

"I'll make sure our surviving warriors make it out of here alive," she said out loud. "Every last one of them…"

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress, Sleeping Quarters**

Sweat covered her body as Ivy Valentine continued her attempt to destroy the medallion. As it's red tear glowed more than ever, Ivy did everything she could to shatter it…step on it, throw it against the wall, but mostly lashed at it with her uncoiled sword.

To her dismay, no damage was left on the medallion… now even a single scratch.

After smashing the medallion with the hilt of her sword, more frustration took over her. "Why won't you shatter already?!" she screamed out.

She then collapsed on to her knees, suddenly feeling exhausted. Ivy hung her head down, feeling shameful. For years, she battled and defeated many opponents… now here she was, being defeated by a palm-sized artifact of all things!

 _How humiliating…_ Ivy thought to herself.

She then happened to look up and saw the fireplace in the room. Ivy had lit some flames in the fireplace not too long ago and had nearly forgotten about it.

An idea came to her then. Quickly, she took the medallion in her hand and chucked it into the fireplace. She wasn't sure whether or not the material would actually melt, but it was worth a try.

However, to her surprise, as soon as the medallion landed in the fireplace, it actually extinguished the flames right out within a blink of an eye.

"What?!" Ivy cried out in surprise. She mustered up the strength to get herself back up and walked up to the fireplace. She took the medallion in her hand and, in even-more frustration, threw the medallion across the room.

" _Bastard!_ " she screamed just before it hit the wall and landed on the ground with a small _clink!_

Now feeling even more exhausted, Ivy fell back to her knees and hung her head down in shame. She was able to feel tears developing in her eyes, but she refused to shed them.

"This curse will follow me to my grave…" she whispered to herself. "I can't even destroy Soul Edge's connection…"

Unsure of what to do next, Ivy leaned herself against her bed and closed her eyes. A part of her hoped that this was nothing more than a nightmare, but she knew it was very far from it.

 _Fine… let it consume me…_ she suddenly thought.

Ivy continued sitting there as she tried to figure out what to do next…

~~~

**Battleground**

Cody and Maki continued fighting, having been since nearly the very beginning. Despite fighting off many guards, they were able to keep an eye on each other so that they didn't lose track of one another.

At one point, Cody was fighting a guard, who had a kwan do in his hand. The guard swung the weapon wildly, forcing Cody to dodge a few times. Eventually, he managed to grab the weapon and break the wooden portion in half, now having the blade part with him. Frustrated, the guard attempted to fight Cody with the other half of the weapon. However, Cody manage to move out of the way of his attack, giving him the chance to slice the guard's head off with the blade. Feeling satisfied then, he dropped the bloody weapon to the floor.

Maki had witness what her friend just did. "Was that necessary?" she asked.

"When they're out to kill you… yes," Cody replied.

Maki shrugged a little. "Good enough then."

A concerned look suddenly came over Cody then. "Listen, try to get yourself out of here while you can. Things are getting really tense here-"

"I won't!" Maki cried out. "I won't leave until-"

She was suddenly cut off as a familiar person suddenly began approaching them. Cody noted the surprised look on her face and she was looking passed his shoulder. He turned around to see what she was looking out…and was surprised to see their friend Guy approaching them.

"Guy!" Cody cried out feeling happy now. "Damn, we've been looking all over for you! I'm glad you're-"

He was then cut off as he noticed something was…different about him. After a brief inspection, Cody gasped as he noted that Guy's eyes were now colorless.

"No… what have they done to you…" Cody uttered, realizing that somehow, someway, his long-time ally was now brainwashed.

"Guy, why aren't you speaking?" Maki asked.

Cody quickly turned to her. "Maki, that's not Guy! Get out of here NOW!"

"Wha-" Maki started to say, obviously confused. However, since the two were distracted, this gave Guy the chance to jump towards them, getting himself behind Maki. He then executed a spin kick to her head, sending herself flying sideways as she was rendered unconscious.

"Maki!" Cody yelled out, realizing what just happened. He looked at Guy, who was now focusing his attention on him… then sprinted himself forward.

Cody quickly got himself into a fighting stance. He didn't want to, but at this point, he realized that he had no choice but to fight his now-brainwashed friend.

He just only hoped that he could find a way to make him snap out of it…


	73. Chapter Seventy-Two

**Near The Battle**

In the distance, Guile and Li Mei were able to see the main palace in their view. Sounds of clashing swords and battle cries reached their ears… they knew that they weren't very far from the chaos.

Throughout their walk to this area, the two were mostly quiet, having nothing to say in a situation like this. Eventually though, Li Mei spoke. "I really hope they made it out of there okay."

Guile looked at the young woman, knowing that she was talking about Kenshi, Ermac, and Alex. "I hope so too," he replied.

Once again, the two were silent as they got closer to the battle. Then, a thought came to the Colonel. "Aren't you from here?" he asked.

Li Mei nodded a little as a frown came over her face. "Yes, I am, but I want to get out of here. I want to leave Outworld and start my life anew."

Guile looked up at the blood red sky. "I don't blame you."

Soon, they were able to see the countless fights from within the forest they were walking through. Once they reached the edge, they stopped walking and briefly looked on at the onslaught.

"Do you want to fight, or do you want to get out of here?" Guile asked her.

Before Li Mei could answer, a female voice suddenly called out Guile's name. The two turned to the voice and saw both Chun Li and Lei running up to them. Both were covered in dirt from fighting, some parts of their clothes were torn, and Chun Li's top had drops of blood on it that weren't hers.

"Thank goodness you two are okay," Chun Li said in relief.

"What happened to the yellow beam in the sky?" Guile asked, noting that the beam was suddenly missing.

"We don't know," replied Lei. "But there's a rumor going around that there's only one portal left and it's believed that it will lead us back to Earth."

"And that's despite everyone fighting for their lives?" asked Guile curiously.

"We heard a couple of people screaming it out," answered Chun Li. A small frown came over her lips. "But there's that chance that they're on the verge of insanity after all that had taken place here today…"

"In this case," cut in Lei. "I highly suggest we get ourselves out of here before the portal closes."

"You guys go ahead and bring Li Mei with you," Guile suggested.

"You're coming with us!" Li Mei exclaimed. "This may be your only chance to get yourself out of here."

"I know what you're thinking," Chun Li said. "You want to find Wagner and Cammy before you leave. I know they would want you to get out of here, mainly for Jane and Amy's sake."

Guile frowned a bit as he thought about the two people Chun Li named out… his wife and daughter respectively. In a way, Chun Li was right. Although he would rather fight his way through the battle and find Wagner and Cammy, he realized that they would indeed encourage him to leave this place for his wife and daughter's sake.

Soon, Guile nodded. "All right… let's go…"

From there, the four of them began making their way towards the portals.

~~~

**Not Too Far…**

After pushing her opponent back, Ashrah quickly shot out a white projectile. To her dismay, however, her opponent managed to jump over it before being hit…

Kira landed on her feet safely before looking back up at Ashrah, who stood in her fighting stance, ready for more. The two have only been fighting for a short one, merely over the fact that they were on opposing sides.

After a brief stare down, Kira straightened herself back up. Then quickly, she jumped forward before curling herself into a ball before shooting herself towards Ashrah like a cannon ball. Luckily, Ashrah was able to move out of the way before she was hit, letting Kira pass her completely.

After landing, Kira placed one arm out and shot out a pink projectile at Ashrah. However, Ashrah jumped over the projectile before executing a flying kick to Kira's face. Kira also moved out of the way before she was hit.

Now close to each other, the two women began exchanging hand to hand moves at one another. It wasn't long before Kira managed to get the upper hand, punching Ashrah a couple of times in the face. Then, the red-haired woman jumped up and grabbed Ashrah's head with her legs before flipping forward, taking Ashrah with her. Then, she let her go, letting the white-clad woman fly a few feet before crashing into the ground.

While Ashrah was still on the ground, Kira stood over her and lifted a leg above her. Before she could stomp her foot down, Ashrah managed to roll out of the way before standing herself up.

Kira attempted a kick her in the stomach, but Ashrah blocked it before executing a palm strike to Kira's face. After the hit, she followed with two more palm strikes before kicking forward, her foot landing in Kira's stomach, causing the red-haired woman to stumble back before keeling over in pain.

"You bitch!" Kira yelled out.

As she screamed this, Ashrah managed to get a foot close to her before spinning herself while four white rings surrounded her. The invisible energy around her was enough to knock Kira back a few feet and soon she stopped.

After regaining herself, Kira stood herself up while Ashrah stood where she was as she waited for her opponent to be ready. Once she was, the two charged over to each other, ready to fight some more.

Just a few feet away, Sub-Zero and Noob continued with their own battle. For some time, the two had been fighting hand to hand until recently when Noob drew out a kriss sword… the sword that once belonged to Ashrah. In retaliation, Sub-Zero formed his Kori Blade and from there, the two found themselves fighting with their weapons.

For a while, the two mostly fought in order to try to get themselves on offense. At one point, Noob swung the kriss low at Sub-Zero's feet, but the ice ninja managed to jump over it before landing back on the ground. As Noob attempted another move, Sub-Zero did an overhead swing at Noob, who dodge the sword by stepping sideways. Then, Sub-Zero spun around with his sword out in front of him, only for Noob to block the blade with his own.

After blocking, Noob pulled back and placed a hand out. A shadow quickly shot out and launched itself at his younger brother. Sub-Zero wasn't able to get away in time and soon found himself launched in the air, going up a few feet before crashing back down to the dirt ground.

Noob got himself to where he was standing over Sub-Zero and attempted to swing the kriss down at him, but Sub-Zero rolled back before standing himself up. He then used his powers to freeze the sole of his feet before gliding forward, crouching down in the process.

The younger of the two brothers managed to knock Noob off his feet, sending him flying up. However, Noob was able to catch himself before hitting the ground and instead landed safely on both feet.

Noob quickly whirled around to face Sub-Zero again. With his sword out in front of him, the dark wraith spun the kriss wildly. As it did, dark energy emerged from it and hurled itself towards Sub-Zero.

The Lin Kuei Grandmaster tried to get out of the way of the energy, but some of it managed to hit him. As soon as it did touch him, he felt some energy leave him and he slowly fell to his knees.

Noob looked down at him. "You're a pathetic excuse for a fighter!"

Upon hearing that, Sub-Zero mustered up the energy to stand himself up. Then, he quickly shot his hand out and a ice projectile hurled itself forward before freezing the kriss, forcing Noob to drop the weapon. Once the iced weapon hit the ground, it shattered into countless pieces, the dark energy it once possessed immediately floating up away from the broken sword before disintegrating.

The wraith didn't seem phased by what just happened as he narrowed his glowing white eyes at his brother. "There seems to be more sins within you than I thought. To bad the kriss didn't have enough time to collect them."

Ignoring him, Sub-Zero went back after his older brother and the two proceeded with their fight…

~~~

**Cathedral**

All around, statues laid in countless pieces and nearly half of the stained glass windows have long since shattered, spreading themselves on the ground. Everything was still in the room… except for the battle between Devil Jin and Evil Ryu, which was taking place in the middle of the cathedral.

Evil Ryu jumped up in the air, placing both arms out diagonally downward towards his opponent before shooting out two dark purple projectiles. Quickly, Devil Jin jumped up out of the way of the projectiles, which exploded on the floor upon impact.

He flew upward until he was face to face with Evil Ryu. Devil Jin quickly pulled his right arm back before thrusting it forward, his punch sending a powerful wave. The punch managed to hit Evil Ryu square in the jaw, sending him flying back a few yards before smashing into the ground.

Evil Ryu rolled back and stood himself back up before Devil Jin landed directly in front of him. They briefly exchanged some punches before Evil Ryu executed an axe kick before following with a back kick, all in which his opponent blocked.

Devil Jin then charged some red energy in his hand and attempted another powerful punch at Evil Ryu, who ducked out of the way. From there, he tried a sweep kick, but Devil Jin jumped up before he was tripped.

Evil Ryu stood himself back up and the two fought a bit more before Devil Jin executed a jump kick, hitting Evil Ryu under the chin. As Evil Ryu was distracted, Devil Jin performed an uppercut, sending him up in the air. He then flew over to him, grabbed him by the neck, and somersaulted backwards before slamming Evil Ryu to the ground, leaving behind a dent.

After the impact, Evil Ryu slowly got himself back up, suddenly feeling a bit weak for the first time since the battle began. He watched as Devil Jin casually walked over to him, his silver eyes glowing and staring at him, and with a sadistic smirk over his lips.

He waited until the winged demon was just a few feet away. Once that happened, he mustered up some energy to teleport right behind him before executing his own uppercut, sending Devil Jin airborne before crashing back down.

The two found themselves just two yards away from each other at this point. Slowly, Devil Jin got back on his feet and the two stared down at each other. They slowly began to realize that this could possibly be a never-ending battle as they were both strong enough to take each other on.

However, the two were determined to emerge the victor, thirsting for the other's power.

Slowly, at the same time, they began to charge energies in their hands…

~~~

**Outside Shao Kahn's Fortress**

For some time, the ninja spectre Scorpion fought his long-time nemesis, the sorcerer Quan Chi. They battled hand to hand, both of them on either offense and defense.

This wasn't the first time they battled… as a matter of fact, the both of them have lost count of how many times they've fought ever since the day Scorpion found out that it was Quan Chi who was responsible for the murder of his family and clan. Whether or not this would be their last battle after this was questionable until the end.

Quan Chi shot out a skull projectile towards Scorpion, who moved sideways before being hit, sending it flying away into the distance before hitting into a tree. In retaliation, Scorpion slowly raised his arms up. Knowing what he was about to do, Quan Chi somersaulted back before a burst of flames appeared from the floor where he was originally standing.

 _How predictable,_ the sorcerer thought.

Scorpion hurled himself towards Quan Chi and the two continued exchanging maneuvers before Quan Chi jumped on Scorpion's knees. With his hands placed together, Quan Chi backhanded Scorpion a few times before kicking him in the face, sending him back to the grass.

Quickly, Scorpion rolled himself back before standing up. He waited until Quan Chi was close enough before backhanding him hard in the chest. Quan Chi found himself coughing for air after the impact and before he could recover, Scorpion kicked forward, hitting him in the stomach.

Quan Chi staggered back after the kick. He took a moment to catch his breath, but eventually found Scorpion's spear lodge itself into his shoulder.

"Get over here!" Scorpion yelled as he pulled Quan Chi towards him. In the process, the sorcerer lost his footing and found him being dragged across the dirt. When he was close enough, Scorpion attempted to stomp on him, but the sorcerer rolled out of the way and the spectre ended up stomping the ground instead.

Slowly, Quan Chi got himself back up on his feet before Scorpion reached him. The spectre tried kicking him, but Quan Chi moved away before executing three palm strikes, all able to hit Scorpion in the face. He then performed a kick to Scorpion's chest, forcing the spectre to stagger back. While Scorpion was distracted, Quan Chi slid forward, his back near the ground before kicking upward, hitting Scorpion and sending him airborne before landing back down with a thud.

Quan Chi quickly got himself back up. "I've had enough, spectre!" he yelled out as he raised his hands in front of him. "I have other matters to attend to… but don't you worry. I'm sure there will be plenty of times for us to fight yet again. For now, however… I think you should return to the Netherrealm."

As Scorpion got back on his feet, a white glow began to surround him. Briefly he looked at his hands before realizing that he would be returned to the Netherrealm momentarily… just like the way he did the last time he and Quan-Chi fought in Outworld.

"Big mistake, sorcerer!" Scorpion yelled before hurling himself towards Quan Chi.

It was just like last time… Quan Chi sending him to the Netherealm with Scorpion taking him down with him… and that was exactly what happened yet again.

With a flash of white light, the two disappeared to the forbidden realm with Quan Chi's screams echoing around for a moment before dispersing…

~~~

**Battleground**

"Seems I'm close to the portals," Julia said to herself.

The young woman looked up at the hill before her. It was lucky for her that she was able to pinpoint the exactly location of the portals before the yellow beam, which was previously in the sky, suddenly disappeared.

Julia heard different rumors in the aftermath… some say that everyone was trapped in Outworld… others say that only one portal remained, but no one was sure where the portal lead to.

A part of her wanted to go up the hill and escape… but another part of her wanted to stay and find Ryu. She knew that he would have wanted her to leave this realm, but at the same time, Julia knew that she would felt nothing but guilt if something happened to him.

"Spirits… please help me…" she whispered.

That's when Julia heard someone fighting nearby. She turned her head in time to see her friend Ken Masters taking down a guard. The young woman sighed with relief, seeing that he was okay despite having some drops of blood trickling down the side of his head.

After taking down the guard, Ken turned his head and noticed Julia a few feet away. "Oh good, you're okay!" he called out as he ran over to her.

"Have you seen Ryu at all?" Julia asked with concern.

A frown came over Ken's face. "I haven't. I was hoping I would too, but with so many people here, it's hard to spot anyone unless you really get a good look." He then looked up at the hill in front of them. "What have you been hearing about the portals?"

"Too much to the point where it's difficult to make a guess as to which rumor is true," Julia replied. She glanced at Ken seriously. "Either way, I'm not leaving here until I find Ryu. Ken… I'm going to need your help."

For a moment, Ken didn't answer Julia as he thought about what to do next. He was quite sure that if Ryu was with them right now, he would have encouraged Ken to get out of here and try to unite with his family.

At the same time, Ken thought about all the times Ryu had helped him since they days training with their master in Japan. Ryu had always said, _I bet one day, you'll have to help me out._

 _Seems like now's the time…_ Ken thought.

"Okay," Ken said to Julia. "We'll go find Ryu, but under one condition… if anything major goes down that may threaten our lives, we're out of here. I don't want to leave Ryu behind either. Besides… he would have wanted us to leave."

Julia slowly nodded. "Let's not hesitate any longer then."

They soon began their search for Ryu.

~~~

**Shang Tsung's Palace**

For a while, Ermac fought the sorcerer Shang Tsung, hand to hand all throughout. Near them, Kenshi lied on the floor as he tried to regain himself after a while of fighting with the sorcerer. Opposite of them, Alex laid face down unconscious after she had briefly distracted Shang Tsung before he had the chance to take Kenshi's soul for himself.

After fighting for some time, the two pulled back and waited for the other to continue. In the meantime, Shang Tsung smirked at him. "You know…if I really wanted to, I could just take every soul within you in a snap, but I'm actually enjoying this match of ours at the moment."

"Just to remind you," Ermac began to say. "It was your arrogance and overconfidence that caused you your defeat in the Mortal Kombat tournament all those years ago… so don't believe the results of this fight will be any different. You should consider yourself lucky up to this point. Any normal servant of Shao Kahn would've had their heads displayed on a pipe for all to see."

Shang Tsung shrugged his words off. "And just to remind you… if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be existing right now. Shao Kahn may have been the one who created you, but it was _I_ who provided the souls that made your existence possible. I can take that away anytime I want."

"Enough!" Ermac yelled. "If you want to take our souls so much, then fight us!"

"With pleasure!" the sorcerer cried out before launching himself towards the enigma.

Ermac stood where he was and quickly blocked Shang Tsung's incoming punch. He stayed on defense for a while before he was able to land a kick to his chin, causing the sorcerer a short cry as he staggered back.

Given the chance then, Ermac used his telekinesis, surrounding himself with a green aura, to flying himself up, his feet just above Shang Tsung's head. Then, he let himself fall diagonally with his left foot out, hitting the sorcerer in the face with enough force to rear him back a few feet.

After recovering from the blow, Shang Tsung growled. "You'll pay for that!"

Quickly, he shape shifted into a tarkatan, extending his blades out from his arms before hurling himself back towards his opponent. Wildly, he lashed the blades at Ermac, who was forced to evade multiple times, only being left with a few cuts on his torso.

Eventually, Ermac took his glowing hands out and telekinetically grabbed Shang Tsung before hurling him across the room before releasing him. Upon landing on the ground, the sorcerer morphed back into his original form.

The sorcerer got himself back up despite some pain coursing through his body and turned his attention back to Ermac. His hands became surrounded in flames and he threw them forward, sending out two fireballs which eventually formed into a ring, intending on colliding together with Ermac in between them. However, the enigma managed to duck underneath the fireballs before they crashed into each other.

As Ermac was distracted, this gave Shang Tsung the opportunity to shoot out six skull fireballs in a row, using both of his hands. Ermac barely evaded from the first three, but the final three hurled themselves into his chest, the force knocking him back a few feet.

Shang Tsung grinned, realizing that he was close to being in complete control of their fight. "Perhaps this is a good time to defeat you once and for all."

Ermac slowly sat himself up as he tried to recover from the recent blows. "Even if you take us down and take all of our souls, there will be others who will come after you!"

"Indeed," Shang Tsung replied. "But just like you, they will be defeated as well. As a matter of fact, when I'm done with you, I'll be focusing my attention back on-"

Before the sorcerer could finish his sentence, an invisible force suddenly hit him from behind as though he was just punched. The same feeling came again on his back as his stumbled about. Then, a kick-like feeling hit him in the stomach, sending him flying back before slamming into the ground.

Shang Tsung shook the pain before looking up at who just attacked him. Standing a few yards away was the swordsman he was fighting moments ago.

"Kenshi," he growled as he slowly stood himself up.

Despite the crimson blindfold over his eyes, Kenshi seemed to stare directly at Shang Tsung. "You may have taken me down easily last time," he said. "But it won't be that easy now."

"Bold words," Shang Tsung replied. "But they won't save you!"

Unknown to him, Ermac had managed to get himself back up. As Shang Tsung was distracted, the enigma ran over to him before launching a flying kick to his back, sending the sorcerer hurling forward.

When he was close enough, Kenshi landed a few punches to Shang Tsung's face before executing a somersault kick. Shang Tsung ended up staggering back from the force, only to meet up with Ermac once again. He ended up receiving a double punch to the cheek and jaw before he mustered up the strength to block an incoming palm strike.

Leaving Ermac open, Shang Tsung attempted a palm strike as well, but Ermac blocked that with his free hand as well. He then pushed Shang Tsung back before executing an axe kick, his foot landing on Shang Tsung and knocking him to the floor.

On the floor, Shang Tsung mustered up his energy again and shot out a fireball at Ermac, who quickly avoided the attack with ease. Suddenly, he was lifted up in the air from behind by Kenshi, feeling his throat tighten in the process. He was then turned around so that he found himself facing Kenshi, who showed no mercy towards him. The swordsman let the sorcerer struggle around his telekinetic hold for a moment before bringing him down and kicking him away, sending him flying back before landing face down on the ground.

During that time, Ermac managed to find Kenshi's sword and retrieved it for him. "Finish him!" he called out before tossing the sword to him. Kenshi heard him say this and when his weapon was close enough, he caught it by the hilt with ease.

Slowly, the swordsman walked over to the sorcerer, who was now struggling to get himself back up.

"This… isn't over… yet…" Shang Tsung said as he looked up at him with anger.

Kenshi wasn't phased by his words as he was now standing a couple of feet away from Shang Tsung. He kept silent and stayed still with no thoughts passing through his mind.

Kenshi soon took his weapon in both hands and raised it above him. Then, with a roar as though he was unleashing all the seething anger, hate, and despair that had built up with him since the day he went blind, he plunged his ancestral sword deeply through Shang Tsung's chest. In an instant, green souls began to emerge from his open wound in addition to his own blood. Shang Tsung's horrified screams were heard throughout the throne room as he felt nothing but sheer, agonizing pain.

Soon, the sorcerer's fell back as his life drained from his body. Moments later, his body disintegrated into ashes, only leaving behind his garments and the countless green souls that he captured over the years. Many of the souls flew in different directions, most likely going to places where they could finally rest.

At one point, Kenshi felt energy around him and realized that there was a group of souls flying around him. He realized who these souls were.

 _My ancestors,_ he thought. This was exactly what he fought for… after all these years, he finally had the chance to free his ancestors from Shang Tsung's grasps. He had finally redeemed himself.

Slowly, Kenshi lifted his sword above his head. Immediately after, the souls of his ancestors returned themselves into his sword, where they could finally rest.

Meanwhile, as he watched nearby, Ermac felt a sudden surge within his body. His body glowed green for a moment before it disintegrated. The enigma knew what just happened to him… the curse that Shang Tsung placed on him when he was created… the curse that permanently bounded him to Shao Kahn… was now broken.

From this point on, the enigma was completely free to choose his own destiny.

Once all the souls were gone, all was quiet in the room. After a while, Ermac turned his head to Kenshi. "It's finally over," he said. "He's no longer a nuisance to the realms."

Kenshi nodded. "And I was finally able to finish my quest... it was a long time coming."

"We thank you for your assistance," Ermac said. "Thanks to you, we are now free to choose our own destiny."

It was at that moment that they heard a female voice moan from nearby. Instantly, they both realized that it was Alex just waking up after being knocked out cold.

Ermac stood where he was as Kenshi walked over to Alex. When he reached her, he got down and kneeled in front of her as she slowly sat herself up.

"Owe… my head…" Alex grumbled as she slowly got on her own knees. She then felt a pair of hands touch her upper arms. She blinked a couple of times before looking up to see Kenshi in front of her.

That's when she slowly began to remember what had happened. "Wha… what happened?" she asked.

"What matters is that Shang Tsung is dead," Kenshi assured her.

Relief came over her, knowing that Shang Tsung would no longer hurt anyone or consume their souls again. In reply to this news, Alex leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders before resting her head next to his. Kenshi did the same with her as he wrapped his own arms around her waist.

Their embrace only lasted a short time before Ermac spoke up. "We should take you both to the portal as soon as possible," he suggested. "Anything could happen up to this point and we don't want to arrive there too late. The Earthrealm portal near here is only a ten minute walk."

After hearing this, Kenshi began standing himself up, helping Alex up along the way. "All right, let's go then."

The two of them began following Ermac out of the palace. A few minutes later, they reached a room and stopped upon the sight (and sound in Kenshi's case) before them…

On the ground were just a handful of women who were a part of Shang Tsung's harem. Every single one of them were sobbing uncontrollably and in front of each woman was a black collar with a green gem on it.

Alex frowned at the sight. "Upon his death, these women became free."

Ermac nodded before turning to them. "We'll stay behind to help them. The portal is located to the Northeast from here. You won't miss it."

"Thank you," Kenshi said before he and Alex began heading out of the palace.

Ermac looked at the women with sympathy. He knew that they would need help in getting their lives back in order, and with returning to their respective realms.

It would be the enigma's first task in order to atone for his atrocities…

~~~

**Portals**

After fighting their way through, Guile, Li Mei, Chun Li, and Lei finally reached the top of the hill where the portals were located. They were shocked by the site of shattered portals before them, save for the one at the very end on the left. Standing in front of it was Rose, who stood over a few unconscious guards and tarkatans who had tried to kill her and destroy the last remaining portal.

The four walked over to Rose, who managed to smile at them. "You're in luck. This is the realm to Earth."

Chun Li sighed with relief. "Good."

"Guile," Rose continued. "You don't need to worry about Wagner. He has already returned to Earth."

Guile sighed with relief upon hearing this.

"Along with his sister Lisa," Rose added.

The news shocked everyone and they were silent for a moment. "How did this happen?" Lei asked.

"There's no time to explain," Rose said. "But I'm confident that Wagner will explain everything once you reunite with him. Now go… this portal won't last very long."

Chun Li, Lei, and Li Mei began heading to the portal, but Guile stayed behind for another moment. "What about Cammy?" he asked.

Rose sighed. "She's still alive, but she won't leave until she finds Jin. I promise I'll get her home alive and in one piece."

An uneasy feeling came over the Colonel, but he trusted Rose's words. "Thank you."

"Where's Raiden?" Lei suddenly asked.

"Go now before it's too late!" Rose called out, quickly decided not to inform the others of what happened to him just yet.

With that, the four of them walked through the portal.

~~~

**Cathedral Grounds**

"How are we going to get out of here?" Asuka asked out loud, her voice a bit shaky.

Sakura shook her head a little. "I don't know… I really don't know."

The two ended up here as they tried to find a place to hide. A while ago, the two had tried to get to the portals as they were encouraged to leave. However, they heard numerous other fighters state that every single portal on the hill was destroyed and that they were all trapped here in Outworld.

Having nowhere else to go, Asuka and Sakura attempted to find a place to hide in order to survive. It was Sakura who spotted the Cathedral on top of a small hill and now the two young women were on their way there.

"Let's try to hang in there," Sakura suggested. "We'll hide out here and I'm sure that either Raiden or Rose will find us after this chaos is over."

"I hope so," Asuka replied. "I'm just really glad I'm with someone in this situation."

"Me too," Sakura agreed.

A sigh escaped Asuka's lips. "I just hope my father doesn't think I'm dead."

"Don't think that. Now come on, let's focus on getting to the building."

The two continued going up the hill for a little while longer. Soon enough, the two of them reached the front entrance. Sakura was just beginning to open the doors when she noticed Asuka had stopped just a couple of feet away.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I… just had this strange feeling," Asuka replied. "But I think it's just me…"

Sakura nodded. "I think so too… come on, let's go in together."

The two opened the double doors together and walked passed what looked like a lobby before reaching the main room. That was when they saw an unexpected sight before them. In the middle of the room was Devil Jin and Evil Ryu, both standing yards away from each other. Determination was written on their faces as they charged energies in their hands with Devil Jin's hands a red color and Evil Ryu's a purple color.

"What the…" Asuka uttered, her dark eyes widened.

However, it was Sakura who was in more shock. The two men in the room happened to be the two she admired most. Now here they were, pitting against each other in their darkest forms…and it seemed as though they were preparing themselves to kill the other.

"Jin! Ryu! Stop this!" Sakura yelled out before running towards them.

It was only when she was halfway over to them when Asuka realized what she was doing. "Sakura! What are you doing?!" she yelled before following her.

Just as Sakura reached the two, both Devil Jin and Evil Ryu shot out their projectiles. A bright light mixed with the two colors hit Asuka's eyes and the force of the energies was enough to knock her back into the lobby. She screamed in terror until she landed back on the ground with a loud thud.

Soon, the colors cleared out as Asuka slowly sat herself up. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her vision. Any particles that were close by the middle of the room before were now pushed away.

Asuka felt pain surge through her body from landing and she fought to shake it off as she slowly got herself back up. "Ugh… my head…" she mumbled.

She slowly walked back into the main room. Both Devil Jin and Evil Ryu were pushed back from the spots where they originally were by a few feet, both dazed from the large blast.

Asuka then looked in the middle of the room… and her heart froze upon seeing Sakura's unmoving body on the floor.

"Sakura!" she cried out as she ran to her friend before kneeling down. The young girl's eyes were closed and parts of her clothes were torn from the blade and dirt covered her in different places.

"Sakura! Wake up!" Asuka cried out as she shook Sakura. "Please wake up Sakura!"

She then realized that one of her hands was over Sakura's neck, her fingers near where her pulse should be. Asuka placed her fingers there, desperately seeking for a pulse.

To her dismay, there was none.

"No… NO! Sakura! Come back, damn it! Come back!" Asuka screamed as tears began to roll down her face.

Suddenly, a shadow cast over her and Sakura's body. Asuka looked up and screamed upon seeing Devil Jin's form standing over her. In panic, Asuka backed away from him while still on the ground.

"Please don't hurt me!" she cried out.

However, to her surprise, it was never his intention. As Asuka looked up at Devil Jin, she realized something… moments ago, his eyes were glowing a silver color. Now they were back to their normal brown color.

The horns, the wings, and the tattoos were still there… but it seems as though his good conscious emerged upon realizing what just happened.

Asuka watched as Jin kneeled himself down in front of Sakura. He stared down at her before gently taking her into his arms. Again, he stared at her as though he was trying to process in his mind what just happened… but it seemed that he was slowly coming to realize what he had done…

To Asuka's surprise, Jin leaned down and slowly kissed Sakura's forehead, letting it linger before slightly pulling away. He then brought her up in an embrace before burying his face into her neck, endless tears steaming down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.

The sight broke Asuka's heart and she wound up burying her face into her hands, sobbing.

Unknown to either of them, Evil Ryu managed to stand himself up. Like Devil Jin, he still had the dark gi and the tanned skin… but his eyes were now a normal brown color rather than blood red. He watched the scene before him where he stood, his good conscious realizing what happened.

Moments later, Jin was beginning to feel his devil side trying to take over him again. He moved his head up with a small growl, which caught Asuka's attention as she lifted her head up as well. Her eyes widened as she watched what was happening.

Jin gritted his teeth as he fought against his curse. _It's because of my bloodline… that Sakura's dead!_

In desperation to keep his devil side in check, Jin snapped his head back and let out a loud, howling roar. The pitch was enough to shatter the remaining windows around them. In the process, he unleashed an invisible force which spread around the room. Asuka let out another scream as she found herself gliding across the room in high speed before crashing into a wall. Ryu flew back as well, only to be knocked out through one of the already-broken windows, eventually landing on the ground outside.

When the force ceased, all three of their worlds turned black.

All was calm after. However, it wouldn't last long as a pair of eyes snapped opened.

The pair of eyes didn't belong to either men or Asuka.

They belonged to Sakura… and her eyes were now a blood-red color…


	74. Chapter Seventy-Three

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

Shattered stone laid all around the throne room as a majority of the statues in the room were long damaged. Along with it, many other artifacts laid on their side after being toppled over by the invisible energy that constantly formed around the large throne room.

In the middle of the room, the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn and the Azure Knight Nightmare stood face to face. The two have been fighting for quite sometime with neither one of them sure of exactly how long. Even now, their fight seemed quite even.

After a stare down, Nightmare raised Soul Edge with a single hand, the eye on the large sword blinking a couple of times. "Have more of a taste of my cursed sword!"

In reply, Shao Kahn raised up his war hammer before letting out a battle cry and ran over to Nightmare. Before he reached the demon, the Emperor jumped forward with his knee out again as green energy trailed behind him. Nightmare evaded the attack by stepping out of the way before he was hit.

Now leaving Shao Kahn opened, Nightmare used the hilt of his sword and hit Shao Kahn in the small of his back. The force was enough for him to stumble forward, but he was able to stop himself after a few feet. Despite the sheer pain in his back, Shao Kahn was able to shake it off and turned around to face Nightmare again.

Quickly, Shao Kahn shot out a green projectile, which managed to hit Nightmare square in the chest, the force rearing him back a few feet. Shao Kahn then jumped forward to execute more attacks, but Nightmare had recovered in time. When the Emperor was close enough to him, the Azure Knight rolled forward before kicking upward, hitting Shao Kahn's shin. Then, Nightmare quickly got back on his feet before jumping upward and swinging his sword down. Shao Kahn managed to see this in time and stepped out of the way, causing the sword to hit the floor instead.

After landing, Nightmare got himself close to Shao Kahn again and spun his sword, which the Emperor ducked under. Then, Nightmare executed an uppercut with lightening suddenly surrounding the sword. Shao Kahn ended up being hit by the sword and suddenly found himself flying upward. Before he landed, he managed to catch himself and safely landed on both feet.

"You've been enduring my attacks quite well," Nightmare said. "Now… give up your soul and face this darkness!"

Shao Kahn gritted his teeth from underneath his helmet. "No one defies the Emperor of Outworld! _No one!_ "

Quickly, Shao Kahn glided forward, intending on delivering a shoulder ram. However, by the time he reached him, Nightmare jumped up, intending on performing a drop kick. As fast as he could, Shao Kahn stopped himself and dropped his war hammer to the floor, now using his free hands to grab Nightmare's ankles. Once he got a hold of them, he lifted him up before slamming him to the ground, the slam causing the room to shake a little and leaving behind a dent on the ground.

As Nightmare got himself back up, Shao Kahn managed to get behind him and grabbed his right arm. He had only intended to twist the arm and as he did, something happened in which he never expected…

Nightmare's right arm was already large and grotesque, a dark brown color that was bumpy and slightly scaly, the hand itself larger than Shao Kahn's stomach which contained long fingers that were longer than the Emperor's own hand. Even with it's thickness, the Emperor was barely able to wrap Nightmare's upper arm with a single hand.

When Shao Kahn went to pull back on it, Nightmare ended up twisting himself around to face him. Having been surprised by the gesture, Shao Kahn ended up pulling back… peeling off the grotesque arm in one stroke.

The Emperor stumbled back, the thing that was once an arm falling into a few pieces on the floor. He looked up just as he heard Nightmare say something incoherent. His glowing eyes seemed to dim down a bit as he stood motionless.

 _It's as though he's distracted by something,_ Shao Kahn thought.

It was then that Nightmare let out a howling scream and he dropped Soul Edge in the process. A white beam of light surrounded him, the brightness forcing Shao Kahn to shield his eyes.

Not long after, the light disappeared and Nightmare was now on the ground. However, as Shao Kahn walked forward to get a better look, he realized that Nightmare was no longer on the floor.

Instead, a smaller, young man with long blonde hair laid before him unconscious. On either side of him, the grotesque arm and Soul Edge were surrounded by red energy.

Shao Kahn slowly picked up his war hammer from the floor. "Seems that I found your weakness… and discovered that you had a host body."

He then raised the hammer above his head as he looked down at the unconscious man. "No matter… you'll be dead before you know it."

Before he was able to make the final blow, another dark energy suddenly came into the room from behind.

"Now what?" Shao Kahn mumbled. He turned around and looked over at the throne room's entrance. Nearby, a demon with fiery red hair entered a room as energy that matched the color of his hair surrounded his body.

It was the Ansatsuken demon Akuma.

As he continued walking towards the Emperor, a rare grin came over Akuma's face. Shao Kahn's energies were even more powerful than he imagined… and it was going to be a power that he will take for himself.

Shao Kahn raised his war hammer again. "So… another challenger? Very well… I shall crush you just as I did with this one."

With that, the two of them charged towards each other, beginning yet another battle within the fortress's throne room.

~~~

**Battleground**

Blood spewed from three tarkatans after Yoshimitsu executed them with one quick swift with his sword. All the mutants screamed in pain before collapsing to their deaths.

Many of the opponents recognized Yoshimitsu as the leader of the group fighting against them… and many of them attempted to kill him in order to receive some glory. However, it only proved that they underestimated him and they end up lying on the ground dead in their own pool of blood.

"I've finally found you!" a demonic voice said from behind him.

Yoshimitsu turned himself around, only to be faced with yet another tarkatan. "Another one of your kind out to eliminate me."

The tarkatan growled. "I'm not like the others! I'm Baraka, General of the Tartakan Hordes! You took down many of my soldiers quite easily. Now, it is my turn!" He raised one of his arms up, his long blade covered in blood. "Soon, your head will be on his very blade!"

With that, the two charged towards each other. Once they were in reach of one another, their weapons collided, beginning their own battle. For a moment, they fought back and forth before Yoshimitsu executed a back flip, kicking the tarkatan leader underneath the chin.

Baraka stumbled back, but quickly recovered from the blow as he shook it off. He waited until Yoshimitsu was in front of him again before getting on one knee and moving his two blades up and down in front of him in rapid speed. Yoshimitsu was forced to stay away, keeping his katana in front of him in case the blades ended up hitting him.

Once Baraka was done, he began to stand up, only to be met by Yoshimitsu's two feet after he rolled forward, got on his back, and kicked upward with both feet, hitting Baraka in the stomach. Baraka was sent flying upward before crashing back into the ground. Despite the pain that coursed through his body, Baraka managed to roll back and stand himself back up.

When Yoshimitsu was close enough, Baraka delivered an elbow jab, hitting Yoshimitsu square in the face. Then, the tarkatan leader extended his other arm out, intending on landing a palm strike, but Yoshimitsu managed to duck out of the way in time.

After straightening himself up, Yoshimitsu pointed his sword downward and positioned himself on it like a pogo stick. Baraka was confused by the gesture, never seeing any fighter do such a thing. Then, Yoshimitsu spun himself forward, knocking Baraka back a few feet before crashing on to his back. Afterward, Yoshimitsu got back on his own feet with his sword in his hands.

Baraka got back on his feet moments later and growled. "You'll pay for that!"

The tarkatan quickly covered the space between him and Yoshimitsu and delivered a forward kick, hitting him in the stomach. Yoshimitsu was able to recover in him as Baraka lashed out his blades at him.

Yoshimitsu waited until the right moment came… and when it did, he jabbed his katana forward. He had intended on stabbing Baraka in the chest, but Baraka had ended up moving himself and the sword only managed to stab him in his right shoulder.

Baraka let out another growled as he reared back after being stabbed. In retaliation, he shot out a blue projectile, which managed to hit Yoshimitsu square in the chest, the forcing pushing him back a few feet before landing in the dirt.

After a brief recovery, Yoshimitsu got himself back up and ran back towards Baraka. Baraka did the same as well, despite the wound in his shoulder. Once the two reach each other, they continued with their battle.

~~~

**Cathedral Grounds**

"I think I sense something!" Ken Masters suddenly called out after a long silence.

Julia Chang turned her head to him as the two continued walking up a hill. "What do you sense?" she asked.

"I think I can sense a chi," Ken replied after briefly looking at his surroundings. "I think it's coming from this area."

Julia briefly looked up at the cathedral that stood on top of the hill that they were walking up. The building was made of dark stone and it seemed as though all of the windows on the building have shattered.

"Do you think Ryu could be here?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ken answered. "But looking around here wouldn't hurt."

Julia nodded. Once they reached the top of the hill, the two began searching the grounds, looking for clues. As they did, Ken was a bit overwhelmed by the dark energy that lingered in the air around him.

 _What happened here?_ he thought to himself.

After some time of search, Ken turned a corner with Julia behind him. That's when he saw Ryu lying on his back and unmoving, his white gi a bit charred.

"Ryu!" Ken called out as he and Julia ran over to him. When they reached him, they both got down on their knees. Ken immediately checked his vitals signs. He then sighed in relief when he felt a heartbeat.

"He's still alive," he said to Julia, who had a worried look on her face.

"Ryu, wake up!" Julia called out as she slightly shook his shoulder. Ken followed suit as well.

After a minute, Ryu slowly opened his eyes, his iris' a brown color. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and when he did, he saw both Ken and Julia.

"Wh… where am I?" he uttered.

Ken and Julia helped him to sit up. "We don't know Ryu. You were missing since last night."

"Do you remember anything from before you blacked out?" Julia asked him.

Ryu rubbed his head a bit as a headache came over him. He tried to remember the last thing that happened before darkness took over him.

Then, he slowly answered. "I was outside with Jin and Kenshi… the three of us couldn't sleep… I don't even remember what we were talking about… but now I'm wondering… how did I get here?"

"It doesn't matter," Julia said as she embraced him. "What matters is that you're okay."

Ryu was a bit surprised at first by Julia's embrace, especially after the events involving her mother during the last few days. Eventually, he slowly wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.

Unknown to them, a grim look came over Ken's face. He wondered if Ryu knew the back of his mind on how he got here exactly.

 _His evil side must've awakened some time last night,_ the blonde millionaire thought. _The side that our master warned us about. Why else would he suddenly be in this place?_

After moments passed, Ken spoke. "I think we should get out of here," he highly suggested. "Now that we found Ryu, there's no reason to stay in Outworld any longer."

Julia pulled away from Ryu and looked up at Ken. "I just hope that one portal is still open."

Ryu began to stand himself up and was eventually helped by both Ken and Julia. "I don't want to be here anymore either. Let's go home."

With that, the three of them began heading to the portal's location.

~~~

**Nearby the Battle…**

Lightning surrounded his fist as Kazuya Mishima performed an uppercut. His fist managed to hit Heihachi Mishima square in the jaw, sending him flying up in the air. However, Heihachi managed to catch himself, somersaulting in the air before landing back on the ground.

Neither one of them were sure how long they've been fighting up to this point. However, during the fight, they brought themselves closer and closer to the ensuing battle near the palace grounds. Now they were just a couple of hundred yards away.

"This will end soon, old man!" Kazuya yelled out. "Give up now while you can!"

"I don't back down that easily, wretched fool!" Heihachi spat.

Kazuya then jumped forward with a battle cry, attempting to land a punch to his father's face. However, Heihachi managed to block the attack before punching his son in the face, followed by another punch to the torso. Afterwards, he crouched down a bit before jumping up, landing an uppercut to Kazuya's jaw. Just as he did moments ago, Kazuya flew up in the air, but despite the pain, he managed to catch himself before landing back down.

Retaliating after the attack, Kazuya jumped up and performed a drop kick, knocking Heihachi back a few feet. This gave Kazuya some time to get himself back up before Heihachi reached him. Quickly, Heihachi crouched down, his side facing his son, before bringing both arms out as they glowed a red color. The blow was actually enough to knock Kazuya back a few yards before crashing to the floor face down.

Heihachi covered the few yards before reaching Kazuya, who had managed to get himself back up. Heihachi attempted a flying kick to his face, but Kazuya managed to evade the attack.

Now leaving the older man open, Kazuya quickly delivered a roundhouse, forcing Heihachi to stumble a bit after being hit. He then let loose another two kicks to the torso before delivering an axe kick, knocking Heihachi to the floor.

Kazuya then proceeded to stomp his father on the back, but Heihachi rolled sideways before he was hit. Quickly getting back up, the older Mishima found himself blocking more of Kazuya's attacks before finding an opening. When he did, he executed a spin kick, his leg surrounded by red lightning as he hit the younger man's side, sending him rearing back a bit.

However, Kazuya was able to regain his footing. As Heihachi ran back over to him again, Kazuya delivered a high kick to his face before punching him in the chest. He then got in a low kick before a hook punch to his jaw forced the older man to stagger back.

Just as Heihachi recovered, they suddenly heard a pair of battle cries nearby. This caught both of their attention and they turned their heads in him to see two guards coming after them with their weapons. Quickly, the both of them grabbed the two by the neck before smashing them together with sheer force. After being dropped to the ground, blood began to seep through their helmets.

"Damn interruptions!" Heihachi yelled out. Not a split second after saying that, he was met with a kick to the face by Kazuya, knocking him down to the ground.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

The battle between Shao Kahn and Akuma continued within the throne room. In the beginning of battle, Shao Kahn had attempted to attack Akuma with his war hammer, but not too long after, Akuma managed to knock the weapon out of his hand, much to his surprise.

At one point, Akuma delivered a jumping uppercut, his fist covered in a purple aura. Shao Kahn managed to jump back from the attack. Before Akuma was able to land back on the floor, Shao Kahn did his own uppercut…which developed enough of a force field to knock the demon back a few feet, sending him crashing down afterwards.

As he sat up, Akuma shot out a projectile, which Shao Kahn barely moved out of the way from. The demon then teleported towards him, landing a double kick to his abdomen before grabbing him and throwing him over his shoulder. The room shook a bit as Shao Kahn crash back down on the throne room floor.

In retaliation, the Emperor shot out his own projectile. Akuma had been running towards him, only to be met by the green energy. It hit him in the chest, knocking him away from the Emperor.

The both of them stared at each other from where they were, having already lost some energy from their previous battles before this one.

 _This one is quite the challenge,_ Shao Kahn admitted to himself in his mind. _Perhaps nearly as equal as my last opponent._

Akuma stared at the Emperor with no emotion in his face. _Never have I fought someone with such power,_ he thought. _… A power that will soon be mine to take._

Slowly, the two stood themselves back up. Then, in battle cries, they ran back towards each other to proceed with their ongoing fight.

~~~

**Battleground**

"Maki? Maki! Wake up! Maki!"

Slowly, Maki fluttered her eyes opened as she heard a male voice reach her ears. _Who's talking to me?_ she thought to herself.

It took her a little while longer before she could open her eyes completely. For a moment, her vision was blurred, but after blinking a few times, her vision cleared. She happened to be looking up while lying on her back.

She then noted the face looking down at her… the face which belonged to Yang.

Yang seemed to sigh with relief upon seeing Maki's brown eyes open. "Good, you're okay," he said to her.

He then helped her to sit up. As she did, Maki felt as though her head was spinning and she placed a hand to her temple and closed her eyes, easing the sudden dizziness.

Once the spinning sensation ceased, Maki opened her eyes again and glanced over at Yang. "We're still here in Outworld, aren't we?"

Yang nodded. "My brother and sister made it out okay, that I'm confident about."

"Why didn't you go with them?" Maki asked.

The young man sighed a little before replying. "Because I didn't want to leave this place until I found you." He then smiled a little. "And I did find you."

Maki smiled back before bringing him into an embrace. Yang returned the hug as well, leaning the side of his head into hers.

"Why are Cody and Guy fighting at a time like this?" Yang suddenly asked.

Maki's eyes widened a bit, now remembering what was going on before losing consciousness. She looked around a bit before spotting her two friends battling it out a few yards away.

She slightly pulled away from Yang so that she was facing him. "It's Guy… I don't know what happened… but somehow he's been brainwashed. He's turned against us…"

Yang turned his head to the battle between the two. "Damn…"

As the battle continued, Cody jumped up and executed an air kick, an attack which Guy managed to move away from. Leaving the blond fighter opened now, Guy jumped up behind him. He placed one leg out in front of him before spinning himself a few times.

" _Bushin Senpuukyaku!_ " Guy called out. However, Cody managed to duck under the leg after landing on his feet.

After landing back on the ground, Guy ran forward before spinning himself around landing a punch to Cody's jaw. Cody reared back from the force, but quickly shook off the pain as he did an uppercut in the air. Afterward, a tornado developed in front of him before it slightly moved forward, knocking Guy back a few feet.

Guy slowly got himself up after the attack. Just before he was completely on his feet, Cody had already got himself behind him. Quickly, he twisted his arm with one hand while wrapping his free arm around Guy's neck, catching him in the choke-hold.

As Guy struggled to get out of the grip, Cody spoke. "Now that I got your attention, listen to me! Snap out of it! This isn't the Guy I know! The real Guy wouldn't attack his friends for no reason! Fight it! Don't let this brainwash control you!"

With a growl, Guy managed to finally free himself by elbowing Cody in the ribs, forcing him to keel over in pain. As he was distracted, Guy grabbed him before throwing him over. Cody soon found himself a few feet away after crashing on to the ground.

Guy stood over Cody as he struggled to get up. As the blond-haired man looked up at his friend, he once again saw his colorless eyes.

 _Is there anyway to free you without killing you?_ Cody thought grimly.

~~~

**Cathedral**

"Wha… what happened?" Asuka mumbled to herself as she sat herself up.

All was quiet in the Cathedral aside from the distant sounds of battle outside. As Asuka got herself back up, she felt a headache develop. She briefly held her head as she stood herself up on her feet.

Asuka then briefly looked at her surroundings… until she saw an unconscious Jin lying in the middle of the large room A small gasped escaped her lips as she suddenly remembered what had happened in this building.

Jin had been in his devil form along with Ryu…

Then there was Sakura…

Asuka bit her lower lip a little as she ran over to Jin's unconscious form. She realized that the feathered wings and horns were gone, but the tattoos on his torso and forehead remained.

The young woman kneeled down next to Jin and began shaking his shoulder with her hands. "Jin! Jin! Wake up damn it! JIN!"

After a moment, she realized that he wasn't responding. Asuka began to look around the room nervously, her eyes away from Jin. "Damn it! Here I am all alone in this place!"

As thoughts ran through her mind, she was unaware of the fact that her hands were glowing in a misty white color. Moments later, the tattoos on Jin's body were also surrounded by the aura, only now in a purple color. Within a short amount of time, the tattoos seemed to burn away.

And as the tattoos on his forehead did the same, Jin slowly opened his eyes.

After another look around, Asuka glanced back at Jin and sighed of relief after seeing that his eyes were opened… and brown for that matter.

"Jin?" Asuka said.

Jin seemed to look up at her with a bit of confusion at first. Then, his eyes widen in surprise and his sprang up quickly into a sitting position.

"Mother!" he called out almost at the same time.

The sudden surprise caused Asuka to stumble back a bit. After being startled, Asuka took a deep breath as she watch Jin look at his surroundings. Then, his eyes met hers.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well," Asuka began to say. "For one thing… you just called me 'mother.'"

Jin sighed a little as he looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry to have startled you," he replied. "I thought you were someone else."

Asuka nodded. "You seemed like you were still waking up anyway."

"Yeah… you're probably right."

The young woman moved herself so that she was kneeling again. "What the last thing you remember?" she asked curiously.

Jin thought of this for a moment… indeed the last thing he remembered was his fight with his father Kazuya. However, he decided to back that away for now…

"I remember walking with Cammy before everything went black," Jin replied. He then closed his eyes. "I don't need to guess what happened me… "

He then opened his eyes and they were suddenly filled with sadness. Asuka frowned as he looked at her. "…yet, of all the things I've done today, I can clearly remember one thing… I… I killed Sakura…"

Asuka placed a hand on his shoulder as she felt tears stinging her eyes. "It wasn't your fault. You weren't even aware that she was in the room… I know I tried to stop her from coming between you and-"

"All she wanted was to learn to fight," Jin cut in as he buried his face into his hands. "And I took that all away in an instant…"

The young woman was silent for a moment before a thought came to her. "My father once said… never blame yourself for your mistakes. If your heart is truly regretful, then you will be forgiven."

Underneath his hands, Jin's eyes widened in surprise. The advice Asuka had given him were the same words his mother had said to him years ago.

Jin moved his head before looking over at Asuka. "You're father…"

However, he was cut off as his name was heard from behind. He and Asuka turned around and ended up seeing both Cammy and Lita running towards them.

Asuka and Jin slowly stood themselves up before the two reached them. Immediately, Cammy ran to Jin and embraced him, extremely relieved to have finally found him. Jin returned the hug as well.

"I highly suggest we leave this realm now," said Lita. "I don't want things to get any worse around here."

A thought suddenly came to Asuka then. Briefly, she looked around the room.

 _Where's Sakura?!_ she exclaimed in her mind.

However, she began to realize that even if she tried, there wouldn't be enough time to find her body. Besides, from the way things sounded, escaping Outworld at this moment would have to be done either now or never.

"What about the portals?" Asuka asked. "Aren't they all-"

"There's one left and it leads to Earth," Cammy explained. "We're not sure if it will be open any longer though."

"And that's why it's best to leave," Lita said.

A sigh escaped Jin as a grim thought came to him. "Even if we do get out of here… something tells me that this ordeal isn't over…"

~~~

**Battleground**

Nina and Anna started at each other as they stood a few feet away from each other. Both were exhausted from their long fight against each other. However, neither one of them were willing to give up just yet… not until one of them was dead.

After a while, Nina mustered up some energy to run towards Anna and execute a cartwheel kick. Anna moved out of the way before she was hit. She got herself into position before performing three kicks to Nina's side. Afterward, Anna delivered an uppercut, sending Nina flying in the air before crashing back down.

Just as Anna reached her older sister, Nina kicked upward, hitting Anna in the stomach. Nina then rolled away once before standing herself up. Afterward, she leaned towards Anna and delivered a palm strike. However, Anna managed to block the attack with her arm.

"Nice try, but not good enough," Anna mocked before landing a knee at Nina's stomach. The blow caused the blond-haired woman to keel over in pain, giving Anna the chance to execute a back kick, sending her sister rearing back a few feet from the force.

Anna then spread her arms out as red energy surrounded her hands. "Eat this!" she yelled before jumping forward. She had intended on landing a double palm strike at her sister… however, she ended up missing as Nina dodged out of it's path.

"What?!" Anna cried out.

"Why are you surprised?" Nina said, now mocking her as well.

Just as Anna began to face her, Nina delivered a high kick to her face before using her other leg to execute a roundhouse to her side. The force of the kick caused Anna to stagger a bit before losing her balance and falling to the ground.

Afterwards, Anna tried to get up, but was then met with a pistol to her face. With no emotions in her blue eyes, she looked up and saw that it was Nina who was holding the gun. Determination was written on her face.

Turned out that Nina had this particular pistol hidden away.

"Go ahead," Anna said in a mocking tone. "Kill me! Do as you wish!"

Nina stared at her for a moment. Last time they encountered each other like this, Nina wasn't satisfied by their last battle… and she had refused to kill her because of that.

Now, she was satisfied. Even so, Nina was now debating in her mind whether or not she should kill her sister…

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress**

"The end is near… give up now," Shao Kahn said.

A few feet away from him, Akuma stared at him. "Only fools would ask for such a pitiful request."

"Ah… but it was _you_ who had chosen to enter this fortress and take me on. Who's the real fool now?"

Akuma didn't reply as he teleported himself towards Shao Kahn. Once he was close to him, Akuma landed a double punch, both in which the Emperor blocked. He then managed to break the block with a powerful palm strike before executing a forward kick, hitting Shao Kahn in the abdomen and forcing him to stumble back again.

A brief recovery later, Shao Kahn gathered his strength and waited as Akuma ran towards him. When the demon was close enough, the Emperor elbowed him in the face, following it with a punch to the jaw before kicking him in the chest, sending Akuma stumbling a few feet back.

After regaining his balance, Akuma jumped up and attempted a hurricane kick, but Shao Kahn easily evaded the attack. Now leaving Akuma open, Shao Kahn kicked the demon's side, causing him to lose a bit of momentum. Before landing on the ground, the Emperor delivered a powerful punch that sent Akuma soaring away.

For a moment, Akuma struggled a bit to get himself back on his feet. Shao Kahn himself found himself nearly losing his balance as he waited for Akuma's next attacks. Between this battle and their previous battles beforehand, their energies were slowly draining from them.

Once on his feet, Akuma teleported towards Shao Kahn. When close, he executed a round house kick, which Shao Kahn barely blocked. He then followed with a sweep kick which the Emperor jumped over. However, he was met with an uppercut to the chin, the blow causing him to rear back a few feet.

Akuma then attempted more attacks, but Shao Kahn managed to evade them before landing a punch of his own. He continued delivering more punches at Akuma before he was staggering enough so that he could easily lift him up by the neck. He stared at the demon for a moment before delivering a fist to his face, knocking him back to the floor.

After the attack, Shao Kahn suddenly fell to his knees, now feeling a bit weak. He looked over at Akuma and saw that he struggled a bit to get himself back up as well.

"It's time… to end this…" the Emperor uttered.

Shao Kahn looked around for a moment, hoping that his war hammer was nearby. However, it so happened that another weapon was just an arm's reach away…

…Soul Edge.

He already knew what would happen upon touching the sword's hilt… but he was willing to take the risk for just a moment.

Quickly, Shao Kahn grabbed Soul Edge's hilt. The eye of the sword suddenly snapped opened upon his touch and a glow purple energy surrounded the large weapon. Shao Kahn grunted as he felt a surge of pain course through his body.

The Emperor knew that he had a short time before Soul Edge would make an attempt to completely take over his body. Using all that was left of his energy, Shao Kahn stood himself up and quickly positioned himself to where he was standing above Akuma.

Akuma looked up at the weapon, his red eyes suddenly glowing and the purple aura surrounding his body much more brighter than before.

Unknown to Shao Kahn, a small side smirk appeared on Akuma's face…

Then, with a loud roar that echoed throughout the throne room, Shao Kahn raised the infamous sword above Akuma, preparing to strike down…

~~~

**Portals**

"Thank you for everything Rose," Dan Hibiki said as he stood next to the Earthrealm portal, which was still activated.

Rose managed to smirk at him. "It was our pleasure. Now, get yourself home before things get worse."

Dan nodded to her before entering the green portal.

Immediately after entering the portal, a dark energy seemed to suddenly run pass her. Rose turned into the direction it came from and note the fact that the flying Outworld species suddenly jumped away from the countless trees in the forest and flew away.

She also noted the fact that the wind suddenly picked up.

"What's happening?" she asked herself.

Suddenly, a vision came to Rose, briefly seeing both Shao Kahn and Akuma's faces. She saw that the two had their own battle.

In the vision, Rose saw the results of their battle… and gasped in horror.

Quickly, she opened her eyes as she suddenly began to feeling rumbling underneath her feet. Rose looked down the hill before her as she realized that there were still some chosen ones left on this realm.

Rose felt her heard sink upon this realization. "No…"


	75. Chapter Seventy-Four

**Shao Kahn's Fortress, Sleeping Quarters**

On her knees with her head hung down, Ivy was feeling quite exhausted. Nearly all morning after discovering the truth about _Chishio No Me_ , she had tried to do all she could to destroy the artifact. She had stomped on it, attempted to cut it down with her sword, and even threw it in the blaze in the fireplace, which has long since been burnt out.

Yet, even after all this time, the medallion was still intact and it looked as though not a single scratch was left on it. It sat a few feet away from Ivy and although the front portion was facing up, it seemed as though the eye itself was staring at her… mocking her…

After a while, Ivy looked up, her blue eyes narrowed as she found herself staring at the artifact. "What do you want from me?" she asked out loud.

The medallion's only reply was it's continuous glowing from the red tear.

A few minutes passed before Ivy mustered up whatever strength she had left and stood herself up. Her coiled sword laid next to her feet, but she didn't bother to pick it up… at least not yet.

She was just beginning to debate on what to do when she suddenly noticed the glow from the red tear dim down… and soon stopped glowing.

Ivy raised an eyebrow after seeing this. "You're close… aren't you…?"

A few moments passed before she felt rumbling beneath her feet. Ivy took a deep sigh, wondering if _he_ was on his way to get her.

However, the more the room rumbled, the more she realized that an earthquake was taking place. Soon, cracks began to form on the walls and small pieces of debris began falling to the floor.

Quickly, Ivy grabbed her sword before grabbing the medallion. She knew that the fortress' exit would take her a while to get to and knew that there was a chance that she wouldn't make it out in time.

Ivy ran over to one of the windows and, using her sword, shattered the glass. Once all of the pieces fell to the floor, Ivy jumped out the window, falling two stories before landing on the grass.

Pain coursed through her body from the fall, but Ivy knew that she couldn't dwell on it right now. She had to get away from the fortress and go as far away as she could.

She would also figure out what to do with both herself and the medallion afterwards.

Ivy tried to keep herself up as she ran towards the forest that surrounded the fortress. The ground below her feet rumbled violently and she could hear the fortress break apart behind her.

At one point however, a piece of debris flew from the fortress and hit Ivy in the back of the head. The blow immediately rendered her unconscious as she fell forward and landed face first into the ground.

She lost grip of both her sword and the medallion. The sword flew forward as did the medallion, which later ended up roll back towards Ivy before stopping by her feet…

~~~

**Near The Battleground**

As the large battle continued near them, Heihachi and Kazuya continued their own fight. Throughout the fight, neither one of them were able to receive a proper offense in order to win the battle between them. Also, random guards approached them in an attempt to kill them, but the father and son were able to take them down easily.

After a long, restless combat, the two stood a few feet away from each other, feeling a bit out of breath. Both of them were waiting for the other to make the next move when the earthquake occurred.

The two Mishimas tried to keep their balance as the ground shook. Nearby, a large crack in the ground developed, shifting the realm of Outworld a bit and knocking many in the large battle off their feet with some of them falling into the crack.

The crack eventually reached the main palace, slowly breaking it in two. The place where many of the fighters stayed throughout the tournament couldn't withstand the sudden break and it soon began to crumble altogether. The debris of the palace crumbled into the ground, leaving behind a large cloud of dust which eventually flew all around the area.

Soon, the rumbling ceased. Heihachi let out a small growl afterward. "This place is nothing more than a disturbance!"

"If you're going to whine about it, then let's take this back to Earth," Kazuya suggested, narrowing his eyes at his father.

Heihachi stared at the younger man for a moment before replying. "Fine then. You have a week to meet me over at Honmaru."

Not knowing whether or not the portals were still open after their long battle, the two began heading to the hill where they were located…

~~~

**Battleground**

Many fighters within the large battle were surprised by the sudden earthquake that knocked many of them to the ground. Most of them stayed down in the dirt until it ceased. Despite the cloud of dust that developed around them, most slowly stood themselves up.

Baraka was one of the first to stand himself back up. He had been fighting Yoshimitsu when the earthquake occurred. Between that and the cloud of thick dust, he ended up losing track of him.

Now, however, it didn't matter. The tarkatan Horde leader looked at his surroundings, noting those on his side including Sheeva, Reptile, and Kira, all who stood where they were, staring at him.

Baraka knew that they wanted… they wanted his orders.

He thought over what to do for a moment, but the answer was obvious…the group had been fighting for some time and they managed to kill many, taking their souls in the process.

This had gone on long enough…

"Retreat!" Baraka ordered out loud. Those who heard him called for retreats as well incase it wasn't heard the first time. As they did, everyone in Shao Kahn's forces began heading North.

As this happened, Kira looked back at the location of the portals for a moment. A part of her wondered if she should just take the chance and return to Earth. However, she knew that at this point, she couldn't go back. Not only was she a wanted criminal there, but now that she had killed Sonya Blade earlier, she knew that it wouldn't be long before they found her.

If she stayed in Outworld however, that wouldn't be a problem.

Making her decision, Kira began following the others.

Nearby, the fight between Cody and Guy was also disrupted by the earthquake. Once it ceased, the two stared at each other as they waited for the other to make the next move.

That's when they heard the call for a retreat. Guy narrowed his colorless eyes at Cody for a moment before turning around and running off, joining up with Shao Kahn's forces.

"Guy, no!" Cody yelled out. He was just beginning to chase his friend when a hand grabbed his arm. In frustration, Cody turned around, thinking the person to be yet another enemy. Upon seeing Maki, Cody sighed with a bit of relief. Behind her was Yang and both had frowns on their faces.

"Cody…" Maki said a bit sadly. "I hate to say it… but we have to get out of here…"

"No way!" Cody yelled out angrily. "We're not leaving until we get Guy back!"

"We have no choice!" Yang said. "Things are getting too unstable here!"

"Listen to us," Maki continued. "I promise you, we'll find a way to get him back. Besides… he would've wanted us to get out of here… Remember what Rose and Nightwolf both said; Live today, fight tomorrow."

To Cody, he was still reluctant to leave Outworld without his longtime friend. However, he knew that Maki was right. If he tried rescuing his friend now, he would most likely end up dead.

A sigh escaped Cody. "Let's go now… before I change my mind…"

Though still reluctant, he followed Maki and Yang towards the portals. Cody briefly looked back in hopes of getting one last glimpse of Guy before departing… but by then, he was out of sight…

Not too far, the large, deep crack that developed ended up separating both Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot while they were fighting one another. Despite this, Sub-Zero was still willing to fight as he resumed to his fighting stance after getting back up after being knocked off his feet.

However, Noob had other plans in mind. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this short, brother," the dark wraith said to him. "Perhaps we'll resume this fight the next we meet."

With that, Noob disappeared in a black smoke before it disintegrated in the air.

"Damn it," Sub-Zero uttered under his breath as he straightened himself from his stance. He then sighed to himself, wondering exactly when he was going to meet with his brother again…

…and when he did, he would resume to the promise he made, the promise to free him.

Sub-Zero slowly turned around as he heard a pair of footsteps behind him. He first saw Ashrah, her white clothes a bit charred from her battle. She happened to look down at the ground when she noticed her long-lost kriss sword lying on the ground. Confusion ran over him… he had shattered the sword during his fight with Noob and now it was back together in one piece.

 _How did that happen?_ he asked himself.

Ashrah stared at the sword for a moment. She raised an eyebrow as she realized that the sword no longer had the dark aura it had when Noob had it in his possession.

As a matter of fact, it was glowing a white aura, just as it did when she first found it.

 _It must only be tainted whenever Noob held it in his hands…_ Ashrah guessed.

Feeling happy to be reunited with her sword, she wrapped her hands around the hilt and picked it up.

Next to her, Smoke approached Sub-Zero. Over one shoulder was Matrik, who had shut down after her battle with Sektor.

"What do we do now?" Smoke asked curiously. Ashrah looked at Sub-Zero as well, her expression seemingly asking the same question.

Sub-Zero already had an answer in mind. "Let's head back to the Lin Kuei Headquarters." He then looked at Matrik. "She'll have a better chance to be repaired."

"Good idea," Ashrah agreed. "I want nothing more to do with this realm."

With that, the three of them, with Smoke carrying Matrik, began heading to the portals.

On the other side of the battleground, Nina and Anna were briefly distracted by the earthquake. Originally, Nina had the gun to Anna's face, having been debating whether or not to kill her sister.

Even with the earthquake, Nina was still able to keep the gun in her hand. And even with the ground rumbling underneath their feet, Nina tried to keep her aim at Anna. Eventually, the rumbling stopped and she was getting ready to pull the trigger as she stood herself back up.

Suddenly, Nina felt a hard kick to her wrist, forcing her to lose grip on her gun. Before she could see who kicked the gun, another kick hit her, this time to the face. The force ended up knocking her back the ground.

Standing up, Anna smiled as she realized who was behind the kick. "Well well, aren't you the savior?" she said seductively.

Nina started to look up just as the person took away an object she had in her open pouch… a glove containing three long claws.

"I'll be taking that back," a male voice said.

Soon, Nina was able to get a better look and became shocked upon seeing Vega well and alive. "You… you're supposed to be dead! How did you-"

"You only shot me in the shoulder!" Vega yelled out as he pointed at the wound on the back portion of his shoulder.

By then, Anna joined Vega's side, slightly brushing her hand over his bare chest. "You see… I told you she had bad aim."

She then turned her attention back to Nina, her face scrawled with anger as she pointed Nina's own gun at her face. "But… I'm sure that's something you don't need to worry about anymore… _sister_!"

Despite being moments away from death, Nina stared up at Anna defiantly, her eyes a bit narrowed as though she was daring her to kill her.

Before Anna could pull the trigger, she and Vega were suddenly kicked from behind. The kick made Anna lost grip on the gun and the both of them were knocked to the ground face first by the surprise attack.

After the attack, Nina looked up at the attack and was a bit surprise when she saw Raven standing there in a fighting stance, ready to attack. Despite the long battle that had taken place, he seemed as though he was still full of energy, ready for more.

Anna and Vega quickly sat up and looked over at Raven. Both of them were long feeling the effects of the long battle that had taken place for quite sometime. They both knew that they would have no chance if they even attempted fighting Raven now.

"Perhaps next time we meet, we'll have our own battle," Vega said as he and Anna stood up. As they began running off, Anna briefly looked at her sister before following Vega out of the battleground.

Raven would've normally went after them, but he knew that now wasn't the right time. He walked over to Nina and placed a hand out, offering to help her up. "You all right?" he asked.

A small side smirk came over Nina's lips, a bit amused by the gesture. Gently, she pushed his hand away with the back of her own hand before getting herself up. She then picked up her gun and placed it in it's Hollister.

"Now I am," Nina replied.

"I suggest we leave," Raven said. "It seems that there is no longer a need to stay in this realm."

Nina looked over at the direction where Vega and Anna escaped to. The large cloud of dust a few yards away have covered the two, making it look as though they had long disappeared.

The blonde-haired woman wanted nothing more than to kill Anna at this very minute. However, she knew that Raven was right about escaping.

Besides, she knew there would be a next time… there was always a next time with her sister.

Eventually, Nina nodded to Raven. "Yeah… let's get out of here."

With that, the two of them began making their escape…

~~~

**Portals**

Many of the remaining chosen ones passed through the portals. After the earthquake, the portal to Earth began to rapidly weaken. This forced Rose to use the power that Raiden had given her in order to keep the portal open.

Once Ryu, Ken, and Julia reached the portal, she realized that only four remaining survivors were left… Jin, Cammy, Asuka, and Lita.

A purple aura with some electricity escaped Rose's hands as it's powers continued to keep the portal open. Rose knew that the power would eventually run out.

 _Please make it here alive…_ she thought to herself.

Some time passed before she heard footsteps nearby. Rose turned her head and let out a big sigh of relief upon seeing the four remaining chosen ones approaching the portal.

"Rose!" Asuka cried out as she noticed a few beads of sweat on Rose's forehead.

"GO!" Rose demanded. "Do not worry about me! I'll follow you after you go through the portal! Go before it's too late!"

Without hesitating, the three of them headed to the portal with Asuka jumping in first, followed by Lita. Both Cammy and Jin went into the portal at the same time. As they did, Cammy turned around and reached her hand out to Rose.

As Rose reached her hand out as well, she gasped as a sai suddenly stabbed through her back and out her chest from behind!

Cammy gasped in horror upon seeing this. " **ROSE!** " she screamed out. She tried to step forward towards her, but Jin held her back. Rose nodded at her, letting her know that it was okay and to leave. Having no other choice, Cammy let herself disappear into the portal to return to Earth…

Soon, the portal shut down completely and a grin came over Rose's face. The person who had stabbed her had done the deed too late… because everyone who managed to survive have all escaped back to their home.

No, she and Raiden weren't able to save everyone… but many did live and she knew that she could trust them with fighting against any future threats to the realms.

 _The best to you all…_ were her last thoughts before eternal darkness took over her…

After Rose's body fell forward, the person holding the sai pulled the weapon out before raising it towards her face…

Drenched from falling into the lake previously, Mileena stared at the blood that covered her sai. With her veil missing, her tarkatan teeth seemed to grin as she looked at the blood with delight.

"Finally," she said out loud. "We got rid of the nuisance who caused many to escape today."

Soon, she began heading North with the others…

~~~

**Battleground**

_How long did this last…?_ Yoshimitsu thought to himself.

He stood alone in the battleground. The cloud of dust caused by the now-collapsed main palace has disintegrated. The sky above was still a blood red color.

And at his feet, countless bodies laid lifeless all around.

As the enemy retreated, he had heard word that Shao Kahn himself had met his demise.

Yoshimitsu wasn't sure how true that was. However, with this rumor, he was able to come up with one guess as to what happened to the Emperor of Outworld…

Shao Kahn has succumbed to _Chishio No Me_.

 _With that,_ Yoshimitsu thought. The medallion _will begin it's process anew in another realm…_

After thinking that, Yoshimitsu realized that he had no further need to be in Outworld. Using his sword, Yoshimitsu cut down the air, creating a portal. He looked at his surroundings one last time before walking through the portal, intending on returning to Keisei and the Manji clan.

After walking through it, the portal disappeared. The only thing that existed left on the battleground was the sound of the blowing wind…


	76. Chapter Seventy-Five

**Outworld, Hours Later…**

As the sun began to set for the day behind the tall mountains, all was quiet amongst the tournament grounds and the area around it. That was with the exception of the whistling winds that softly blew all around. Dust particles floated around and the stench of death could be sensed for countless yards.

The main palace where the tournament participants stayed at was now in ruins. Nothing remained of it except for the rubble which laid where the eight-story building once stood.

And around the palace grounds, countless corpses laid where they had fallen… the results of a long, ensuing battle that had taken place this morning. It was a battle where many fought for survival… and for others, it was a fight to consume as many souls as possible.

For these corpses, they were the unlucky ones. Their souls now entrapped, they are to face continuous torture, perhaps for all eternity.

Then, there were those who managed to escape Outworld. They were the lucky ones…

For now.

~~~

**Shao Kahn's Fortress Grounds**

Upon opening her eyes, Ivy found herself looking up at the blood red sky above. It then took another moment before she was able to smell the stench of smoke and debris.

_Where… where am I?_ she asked herself.

After staring up for some time, Ivy began to slowly sit herself up. She felt a slight headache come over her and she held her head with one hand, blinking a few times. Ivy then looked forward and saw the large rubble of what was once Shao Kahn's fortress.

Now she was beginning to remember everything.

"How did this happen?" she asked herself.

Ivy glanced around for a moment and eventually saw her sword on the ground next to her. She took the sword's hilt in her hand before slowly getting herself back on her feet. Ivy looked up at the sky again. By the position of the sun, she knew that it would be dark at any moment.

The young woman took a deep breath. "Where do I go from here…?" she wondered out loud.

In the back of her mind, Ivy really wasn't sure of what to do. She had the feeling that, with all that has probably happened today, that she would end up having a hard time finding a way back to Keisei.

_Looks like I'll be wandering around for a while,_ she thought.

With that, Ivy turned her back on where the fortress once stood. She only managed to take a few feet when a loud _BOOM!_ reached her ears. She felt her heart jump from the sudden sound and she quickly turned her attention back to the fortress.

Ivy's blue eyes widened in surprise upon seeing a red beam shooting up from the rubble. It only reached about ten feet for a moment, the energy spinning clockwise in a slow speed. Seconds later, another _BOOM!_ was heard, sending the beam shooting up just passed the trees. The energy released a large gust of wind which rapidly reached Ivy, the power of it forcing her to shield her eyes with her arm.

She wasn't sure exactly how long the gust lasted before it came to a complete stop. Slowly, Ivy moved her arm, looking back at the rubble. She raised an eyebrow as, aside from some rocks being pushed away from where the beam was, nothing was there.

However, that didn't last too long. A small group of rocks were suddenly pushed upward as a hand reached out towards the sky. The hand then formed into a fist before more rocks were pushed up with force.

Ivy stood where she was as she watched this unfold. Soon, the person emerged from the rocks and slowly stood himself up, his back facing her. She didn't even have to see his face to know who it was.

"Shao Kahn…"

Indeed it was the Outworld Emperor… but he was a bit different. Any part of his clothing that was red were now a jet black and all of his silver armor was now a charcoal color. However, it wasn't Shao Kahn's new appearance that startled Ivy…

It was the fact that he was holding Soul Edge in his right hand…

Ivy gasped in horror upon seeing the cursed sword. "No! When will this nightmare end?!"

Moments later, Shao Kahn lifted the sword above his head with a single hand. He then grabbed the other end of the sword with his other free hand. The eye on the sword seemed to look around a bit as though it was confused by what was going on.

Then… with one quick snap, Shao Kahn shattered the sword into pieces.

Ivy eyes widened upon seeing this, never expecting for him to do that. She saw the shattered fragments of the sword fall around him along with the red energy that had been within the sword.

Once the pieces have fallen, Shao Kahn raised his left hand. Then, Ivy could only watch in awe as he absorbed the red energy into his hand, leaving nothing left in the air.

Ivy wasn't sure how to react. She always thought that she would finally feel relieved upon Soul Edge's destruction. However, with the current circumstances, she felt a bit confused…

To her, it seemed as though she had underestimated the Emperor's power… and she had the feeling that everyone else did as well. Not only that, but it seemed that he somehow gained more power. However, she wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it was somehow able to help him withstand the sword's power.

Not even a minute passed after the shattering of Soul Edge when Shao Kahn slowly turned around to face Ivy. Upon his stare, Ivy felt frozen in her place as she gazed as his red eyes, which seemed to glow more than ever.

Shao Kahn lifted a hand and slowly motioned her towards him. "Come forward, Ivy. Do not fear me."

Ivy admitted to herself that she was feeling a bit uneasy… however, she wasn't afraid of him. Perhaps it was because of all the generosity he offered her ever since she came to Outworld.

And perhaps it was because he helped her, most likely unknowingly, in destroying Soul Edge once and for all.

Slowly, Ivy began to approach Shao Kahn. Unknown to her, her feet walked past the _Chishio No Me_ medallion. The medallion began to slowly burn away into ashes as a result of Soul Edge's destruction. Afterward, the ashes were brushed away, the countless pieces separating themselves into different directions.

After walking through the rubble, Ivy finally reached Shao Kahn, his towering form standing over her. The two found themselves staring at each other for a moment before Shao Kahn slowly reached a hand up and softly brushed Ivy's cheek with the back of his fingers.

"There is no need to worry about Soul Edge," he said. "I am in full control of it's power. With this along with another new power source I received today… we shall rule the realms. And no one will defy us."

Ivy stared up at him as she listened. His words seemed to give her confidence. If he was able to destroy a powerful artifact such as Soul Edge, then imagine what he could do to the realms.

In reply, Ivy reached her hands up and slightly pushed his helmet up a bit. She glanced into his glowing red eyes for just another moment before she leaned up towards him and pressed her lips against his. Shao Kahn immediately returned the deep kiss, wrapping his strong arms around her…

…As the Emperor and Empress of Outworld, they would follow on their word to dominate the realms. Soon, the entire universe will fear the names Shao Kahn and Ivy Valentine…

_Chishio No Me_ was only the beginning…

 

 

**The End**


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